Destiny's Fight
by Jedipati
Summary: Will and Elizabeth are Dutchman crew. Beckett does not have the heart. Jack Sparrow still needs to be rescued. And one question must be asked- was Destiny really averted? Sequel to “The Great Escape Attempts”
1. Chapter 1

Destiny's Fight

_sigh_ I swore to myself I wouldn't write this story…

Author: jedipati aka immortaljedi

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Two plots collide, and the _Dutchman_ and her crew are caught right in the middle. And one question must be asked- was Destiny really averted? Sequel to "The Great Escape Attempts"

Author's Notes: This starts a few months after the epilogue for _The Great Escape Attempts_, roughly the same time AWE started. However, if you haven't read _The Great Escape Attempts_, you will be very, very confused.

And I can't believe I'm actually writing this.

* * *

What has gone before:

After making a deal with Jack Sparrow, Davy Jones decides to keep his "good faith payment" in the brig. Unfortunately for the Captain, the boy turns out to be something of an escape artist. Unfortunately for Will Turner, it turns out to be easy to get out of the brig, but hard to get off the ship.

After entertaining the crew for nearly three days with his escape attempts, Will learns that his father is on board, ironically during one of his many attempts to get off the ship.

After three days, Captain Jones forces Will to give an oath of service, and Will is bound to the _Flying Dutchman_ for one hundred years.

Captain Jones goes after Jack again, who has failed to uphold his end of their deal.

They find him on _Isla Cruces_, along with several others, including James Norrington and Elizabeth Swann. The crew brings them back to the Dutchman, along with the Dead Man's Chest.

Captain Jones orders the _Black Pearl_ destroyed, and then takes Jack Sparrow to the Locker.

James chooses death over service, while Elizabeth chooses to stay with Will, which means joining the crew.

And so we come to the start of this tale, of the supernatural, of struggle, of power and those who yearn for it, of adventure on the high seas. (And I'm stopping the present tense and purple prose, I promise.)

_

* * *

_

Ch 1

Captain Davy Jones walked around the upper deck of the _Flying Dutchman_, thinking. After a long time, he looked out at the island his crew was on. He'd learned long ago that while he could go on land only once a decade, his crew could go on land at any time he allowed them. And his crew got much less effective if they didn't get shore leave at least once a year.

So he'd given in and his crew got shore leave.

He stopped and leaned against the side rail. He lit his pipe and watched the sky lighten. As the sun rose, Davy straightened and put out his pipe. It wouldn't do to let his crew know that he enjoyed the chance for some solitude while they were gone.

Even as he thought that, Clanker and Hadras stepped through the side of the ship.

They both looked cheerful, and they carried sacks full of fruits and vegetables. Davy nodded. They might not need to eat, but when it was possible to get good food, they all appreciated it. He understood that some of his crew actually played dice for their share of whatever edibles they could get.

They also looked completely human. Davy smiled. He couldn't always make that illusion work, but when he could, shore leave tended to go a lot smoother. He'd found it remarkably easy this year. Clanker and Hadras headed for the little-used galley.

Maccus and Jimmylegs walked through the side right next to Davy. The Captain turned to them. "I take it things went well?"

Maccus nodded. "No problems- though Turner and Swann did… something. They were laughing fit to burst when we gathered, so I don't know the details."

Davy sighed and rolled his eyes. Turner and Swann were the newest- and youngest- of his crew. They'd joined the crew late last year, because of Jack Sparrow's machinations.

Most of the crew was back on board, but Davy was watching for those two in particular. There they were, accompanied by Turner's father. Bootstrap was shaking his head as he walked onto the lower deck, followed by his son and Swann. The younger two had calmed down enough that they were just grinning broadly.

There had been some problems with Bootstrap and Turner- they were both born William Turner- but it had been quickly solved by the simple matter of calling the older one by a nickname, Bootstrap.

"Do I really want ta know?" Davy asked aloud.

Maccus grinned. "They seemed to think it hilarious."

Davy shook his head and looked around. "Where's Palifico?"

"Last I heard, he was at the market, bargaining for some pineapples."

Davy nodded. "He'd best get back soon… ah, never mind." Palifico appeared on the other side of the upper deck, holding a bulging bag.

Davy looked around and realized that most of the crew had brought back food of some type. He wasn't terribly surprised.

"Turner! Swann!" Palifico bellowed down. They looked up. Everyone else stopped and watched. "What did you do?!"

Swann started to snicker quietly, but Turner merely grinned. "We met up- unfortunately- with an acquaintance. Why?" He radiated innocence. Davy didn't believe that for a second. The last time Turner had looked that innocent, he'd been caught trying to escape before he had to give his oath of service. Davy was fairly certain that the last time Turner had been that innocent, he'd not yet begun to walk.

Palifico shook his head as he handed off his burden to Clanker. "Because the gossip is flying- an East India Trading Company man was found outside his house, tied up and stark naked. When they woke him up, he described his attackers as a dark haired man and a blond woman wearing breeches. He named you two specifically."

Turner frowned and looked at Swann. "Didn't we leave him with his breeches?" he asked.

Most of the crew developed coughs at that question and _de facto_ confession. Davy smirked and released the illusion that made them all look human. Swann grinned as her appearance shifted to that of a woman developing the markings and fins of an angelfish. "Of course we did," she said. "I didn't particularly want to see him completely without clothes."

Turner shuddered. "Good point." He took her bag from her and headed away to drop off both sacks in the galley. He obviously considered the subject closed. His fins rippled with his amusement.

Davy decided he'd be able to find out what made those two decide to humiliate the poor man later and turned to Maccus. "Get us ready for a dive," he ordered.

"Aye, Captain," Maccus acknowledged. He turned to the crew. "All hands, make fast! Prepare for a dive!"

Davy watched as the crew prepared the ship. Soon, all was ready. Davy headed for the wheel. "Down!" He yelled as he spun the wheel. He leaned into the rush of water as the ship tilted and dove underwater.

Another year gone. Nine more before he could have his own shore leave.

* * *

"Perhaps you would care to explain what happened," Lord Cutler Beckett said dryly.

Mercer looked furious. "It was the Turner boy and the Swann girl," he spat out.

Beckett leaned forward. "I thought they'd been seen on the _Black Pearl_ shortly before it was destroyed."

"They're alive," Mercer assured him. "And they've apparently found a place to keep them safe. They both look well."

Beckett nodded and wandered over to the map on the wall. "They escaped somehow. Could that mean that Jack Sparrow also escaped?"

"No, I listened to them talking with a couple of men. One of them said it was a shame Sparrow had to go to the Locker."

Beckett frowned at the map, not really seeing it. "I don't suppose we know how they escaped, do we?"

"No sir."

Beckett frowned. "And they might know where the chest is. With that chest, I could control the _Flying Dutchman_."

"There are others who might know where it is. I learned of a pair- a pirate captain and a Voodoo priestess- who are searching for Jack Sparrow, or a way to bring him back."

"And you think they might be able to find the chest?"

"If they can find a way to bring a man back from the dead, they can find a way to control the devil of the seas."

Beckett nodded. "Put the word out. I want any of them- Turner, Swann, the pirate captain, or the Voodoo priestess. If someone brings any of them to me, they will be richly rewarded."

Beckett returned to his desk. He smiled as he filled out arrest warrants for the four people who might be able to find a way to help him control the seas. "See to it that these are signed by the governor. Make sure that he knows that the ones for his daughter and Turner are "alive only"."

Mercer gave a slight bow. Beckett dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

Beckett allowed himself a small smile before he looked down at the paperwork on his desk. He shook his head and got to work. He had a lot to do if he wanted the East India Trading Company to control the seas.

* * *

This one will end up more serious then _Escape_, but I think you'll all like it.

As always, I must thank my beta, Arquenniel, for the wonderful job she did.


	2. Chapter 2

Author: immortaljedi aka jedipati

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the setting. I do own some of the plot.

Pairing and Characters: Ensemble cast, through AWE. Mentions of W/E

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Pirate activity, some violence. Basically at the level of the movies.

Summary: Two plots collide, and the _Dutchman_ and her crew are caught right in the middle. And one question must be asked- was Destiny really averted? Sequel to "The Great Escape Attempts"

Author's Notes: We now start the major plot of the story- much like AWE, but there will be big differences. At times, I will be taking dialogue almost directly from the movie. Sometimes, T&T had the best way to put things. I'll try to always let you know when I do.

_Ch 2_

* * *

Maccus entered the Captain's cabin. "Sorry, Captain. There was a fight in the crew quarters."

"And is it sorted out?" the Captain asked.

"Aye, it is. Penrod and Ratlin are on punishment duty f'r the next week."

Captain Jones nodded once. "Good. Now that all four of you are here, I want ta know what you learned."

"Jimmylegs, you heard the rumors first," Koleniko said.

The boson nodded. "Aye. The rumors are that Lord Beckett's looking for a way to control the very sea itself."

The Captain laughed. "He'd have a hard time of it, without me or the _Dutchman_."

"Everyone says he wants to control the devil of the seas, too, Captain," Koleniko said.

"Hah."

"Captain, he's searching for the chest."

The Captain scowled at that. "Oh he is…" He stood up abruptly and crossed to the line of small windows.

"There's more, Captain," Maccus said. "Someone- no one knows who- is trying to bring Sparrow back."

Captain Jones turned to look at him. "There can be no way ta bring him back. He will be stuck in the Locker for eternity." He scowled. "Why do they want him?"

Maccus winced. "I don't know."

"Is there any good news? Or perhaps any news that you understand?" The Captain's sardonic questions made all four of them flinch.

"The word is out that you're the one who killed Sparrow. We're not sure how people have figured that out, but it's out there. No one will dare try to renege on a bargain with you again."

The Captain nodded. "Anything else?"

"No other news, sir," Palifico said.

"Fine. And did anything serious happen?"

"No, Captain."

"It was a normal leave, Captain."

"Not a thing."

"No problems."

The Captain nodded at the answers. "Good. Now explain exactly why Turner and Swann decided ta humiliate that man."

"I haven't gotten the whole story yet, Captain," Palifico said. "But apparently, the man was one of Beckett's personal clerks. And Turner's never hidden his hatred of Beckett."

"And Swann likes him even less," Maccus interjected. "I'd say they took the time for some harmless revenge."

Koleniko snickered. "Not harmless to that man's dignity."

Jimmylegs and Palifico started to snigger.

Maccus suppressed his own laughter. The Captain snorted.

"Very well," Captain Jones said. He frowned for a moment. "Since it seems that this was a fairly smooth leave, we're done for now. Tell the crew to keep an ear out for rumors about this Beckett. We don't want him getting too close to the chest."

* * *

Captain Hector Barbossa looked at the chaos that was Singapore after an attack by the East India Trading Company. He had come here in an attempt to get Sao Feng to help him get Jack Sparrow back. Barbossa needed Sparrow to fulfill the vow Barbossa had made to Tia Dalma. The meeting with Sao Feng had been going well, until they'd been attacked.

Then all bedlam had occurred, and he had barely escaped with both his life and the lives of his very ragtag crew.

On the other hand, Sao Feng had agreed to let him use a ship and the charts to find Jack Sparrow.

Barbossa scowled. That was a mixed blessing at best. They needed Sparrow, or at least that which he carried, but Barbossa would rather leave the other Pirate Lord in the Locker.

Barbossa sighed. Even if they could find Sparrow and get back to the land of the living from the Locker, there was no guarantee that Sparrow would go along with the plan Barbossa had in mind. And there was no guarantee that the rest of the Pirate Lords would agree either.

"Captain Barbossa."

Barbossa looked over at Joshamee Gibbs, one of the few survivors from the _Black Pearl_. The survivors had made their way to Tia Dalma's hut and met Barbossa.

"What is it, Master Gibbs?"

"We're ready to go."

"Cast off then," Barbossa said. "We don't want t' wait around for the Company men t' find us."

Gibbs nodded. "Aye, Captain," he said.

Gibbs turned and gave the order as Barbossa smiled slightly. He headed for the prow of the little Chinese Junk- the _Hai Peng_- to talk to Tia Dalma. "We ha' come to the moment, Captain Barbossa," she said. "An' I ha' not seen any sign that you can bring the Pirate Lords together."

"Beckett is continuing his efforts to control the seas. It may take time, but by the time we return with Jack Sparrow, the Brethren Court will have been summoned. Sao Feng agrees and will summon them, if they aren't summoned within a month."

"An' what will you do?"

"I will not renege on our bargain if that's what ye mean, ye can be sure of that."

The wind caught the sails and they pulled away. Barbossa looked up. "An' you can rest easy. Ye will be freed from this human form."

* * *

Beckett watched as the pirates were led up to the gallows he had ordered built. He'd finally gathered enough power to order the deaths of the pirates, without waiting for the Royal Navy.

He nodded. The wanted notices for Turner, Swann, the unnamed pirate captain, and the voodoo priestess had been sent out. One of his agents had just returned from Singapore, claiming that the pirate and the priestess had been there.

There had been no sign of Turner and Swann since Mercer had seen them in Tortuga nearly two months ago.

Beckett frowned. The two of them were his best chance to control the seas. They had obviously found a way to escape from Davy Jones, and were the only two known survivors of Sparrow's ill conceived plan to find the chest.

If Beckett had had been in charge, they would have waited until Jones was nowhere close to that area of the Caribbean before searching for the chest.

As word or that escapade had slowly crept around the globe, Beckett had raged. The situation was all the more aggravating because the Dead Man's Chest had been found before Jones had collected Sparrow's soul. There had to have been survivors of that mess, and they had to have spread the word. Beckett now knew that it had been Turner and Swann who had survived. And yet the information was still too vague to be helpful.

No one knew what had happened to the chest. Some said survivors from the _Black Pearl_ had it. Others said that the son of Bootstrap Bill, whoever that was, had it. Still others said that Jones had managed to reclaim it.

None of them should have it. Beckett needed it. He needed to be able to control Jones, so that he could control the sea and eradicate piracy. The age of pirates was over. It was beyond time for the last of them to die.

Beckett considered for a moment. Perhaps he could bargain with Jones. Offer the man a letter of Marque, and employ him. It was something that bore further thought.

Jones would be more useful as a servant, but as an ally, he might be more willing to aid the crown.

Beckett turned to look at Captain Groves, who was waiting patiently. "Ah, Captain. I believe you have a report for me."

"Yes, sir. According to a spy in the Chinese pirate's organization, the pirate Captain is named Barbossa."

"Ah, very good. We'll have to amend the arrest warrant and posters."

"Sir… Barbossa died two years ago. Sparrow killed him."

Beckett smiled. "Captain Groves, I believe that you will find that there is more to life then what we've all been taught. There is much that cannot be seen. This Barbossa may have been killed. But he is alive now."

Groves looked confused. Beckett smiled. "Do you read Shakespeare?" he asked.

"Some, sir. Are you referring to Hamlet?"

"I am."

Groves nodded. "I take your meaning, sir."

Beckett watched complacently as the last of the pirates scheduled to hang today breathed their last.

Beckett nodded. There were only a few pirates facing the gallows today. That would change, if he could only get more support from the Admiralty.

* * *

As my beta said, "scheming bad guys are not good." However, they do make for interesting plots. And thank you arquenniel for the wonderful beta work.


	3. Chapter 3

Author: immortaljedi aka jedipati

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the setting. I do own some of the plot.

Pairing and Characters: Ensemble cast, Mentions of W/E

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Pirate activity, some violence. Basically at the level of the movies.

Summary: The crew of the _Hai Peng_ gets closer to rescuing Jack Sparrow and the _Black Pearl_. The Captain of the _Dutchman_ learns that someone is trying to control him.

Author's Notes: Just a reminder, at times, I will be taking dialogue almost directly from the movie. Sometimes, T&T had the best way to put things. I'll try to always let you know when I do.

_

* * *

_

Ch 3

Will Turner glanced at his opponent and then down at the cards he held in one hand. He couldn't afford to lose this hand. If he did, he'd be out of his portion of the stakes.

He nodded. "Call," he said calmly.

His opponent nodded.

They placed their cards on the deck between them. Will sighed in relief as he realized his opponent had been bluffing. He grinned. His opponent just pouted at him. "Don't give me that look, Elizabeth. It stopped working when I was fourteen."

"It did?" Elizabeth Swann asked.

"Of course it did."

"Then what about when I was sixteen, just before my introduction to society…"

"That had nothing to do with the look you were giving me." Will interrupted. "And everything to do with the fact that I was seventeen and you had just suggested that we go swimming."

"Bootstrap" Bill Turner choked on the drink he had just taken. Will grinned at his father for an instant before turning back to his fiancée. She could still manage a very pretty blush.

Will chuckled and gathered the cards together again. He glanced at them as he shuffled them together. He doubted they would survive the next dive.

"What are you two playing for, anyway?" Maccus asked as Will shuffled.

"Fruit," Will shrugged.

"Fruit?"

"Well, what else?" Elizabeth asked. "As of now, our services are up within hours of each other. There's no point in playing for years of service."

"That explains why you only play dice for chores," Bill muttered.

Will smiled slightly as he looked at his father and the first mate. "Would either of you care to be dealt in?"

Maccus smiled. "Same stakes?"

"Of course, for our share of the fruit we picked up off of that little brig yesterday."

"That reminds me. Have you gotten through the chests we gathered?" Maccus asked.

"Not all of them. The five I've opened have just been fabrics. Well, and the cards. I tossed the fabric overboard," Will said. One of his duties was to open locked chests, strongboxes, and crates that they salvaged.

He grinned slightly. He'd proved just how well he could open locks before he'd become part of the crew. That had translated into a duty that, for the most part, kept him away from the more boring chores.

"Good, we don't need the stuff. It just takes up space," Maccus said.

Elizabeth looked like she was biting her tongue. Will smirked. The governor's daughter hated the thought of wasting fabric, even if the pirate she'd become had no use for it.

Elizabeth shook her head. "At least you're going through them rapidly," she muttered.

Will smiled. While on shore leave, he'd purchased a complete set of lock picks, which made that chore even easier. He'd been relying on his emergency set, which was all he'd been able to take with him when he'd last left Port Royal.

He shook his head and glanced at Bootstrap. "Father, do you want to play?" He asked.

"Why not? Deal me in."

Will nodded and the four of them settled down for a game that had nothing to do with dice for once.

* * *

Jack Sparrow was certain of only one thing. He was Captain of the _Black Pearl_. Nothing else was constant. Nothing else mattered.

Yesterday, he'd been Captain of an empty ship. He was fairly certain that was the true nature of things. The day before he'd had a crew of him selves. Today, his first mate Gibbs and his quartermaster Will had met with him. They were still trapped in these doldrums, but at least his crew was with him.

It was these days, rare though they were, that kept him from going completely insane. On these days, it wasn't his fault that most of them were dead. He wasn't in the Locker. He was Captain Jack Sparrow, with the finest crew one could hope for.

He smiled as he took over at the wheel. Even if they couldn't catch a breeze, it was better to keep someone at the helm. Anamaria headed down to help Elizabeth double check supplies. Bill was up in the riggings with several other crewmen, trying to untangle a topsail.

Ragetti was trying to chase down his wooden eye, but Jack the Monkey was keeping it away from him.

Jack the Captain considered shooting the monkey, but he decided that he was in too good a mood. He looked up at the crew untangling the topsail. How had it gotten tangled like that, since there was absolutely no wind?

Jack shrugged. Bill would be able to sort it out easily enough. Jack was too happy right now to care overmuch.

He ignored the part of his mind that tried to remind him that Anamaria had left the crew months before, Will and Bill were trapped on the _Flying Dutchman_, and everyone else was likely dead.

* * *

Barbossa looked up at the towering glaciers that surrounded them. He knew, in the corner of his mind that refused to forget that period between dying in the cave and waking in Tia Dalma's hut, that they were getting close to their destination.

He made a slight correction to the ship's course as Tai Hwang approached. "I have discovered a riddle on the map Sao Feng provided."

Barbossa nodded and took the map he handed over. "Sun rise sets, flash of green," he quoted. "I see. So we will have to look for the green flash in some way."

"What about the green flash?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing much, Master Gibbs," Barbossa said. "It is on the map."

Gibbs nodded. "An' do you think the old tale about a soul returning from the dead is at play?"

"We all know that the stories have truths to them." Barbossa pointed out.

"Aye," Gibbs said.

"The riddle will sort itself out in time," Barbossa told Tai Hwang. "And we will have no problem getting to land of the dead."

"Aye, with any luck, getting back will be just as easy," Gibbs muttered.

Barbossa couldn't help but smile. He knew that it would not be easy to get back. But get back they would. The clue from the map would be enough, especially once Jack took a look at it. The man had the unique ability to look at thing sideways.

* * *

Will sighed as he flipped open the top to the locked, waterproof strongbox that was the last box he had to open. It was full of papers and a small book. He stopped and put the lock pick back in its slot and closed the leather case. He left them next to the box for the moment, however.

He sighed again and started to go through them. The shipwrecked ship had still been flying Company colors when they'd come across it, so he needed to see if there was anything about Beckett's plans in the papers.

He checked the book first. It was nothing more then a ship's log. He flipped through it, but there was nothing beyond headings, disciplines, and the odd mention of supplies.

Will set it down. The Captain could decide what to do with it; Will suspected it'd get tossed over the side. He turned to the papers. The first few were nothing interesting. Arrest orders for an unnamed pirate captain, a voodoo priestess… Will lifted an eyebrow at that. The next one was an arrest order for Elizabeth.

"Maybe we shouldn't have given Mercer what he deserved," Will muttered when he saw the one below that, for Will himself.

Will shrugged. It wasn't of much importance. They wouldn't be able to find either Will or Elizabeth. "Anything interesting?" Bill asked as he sat down next to Will.

Will shook his head. "Elizabeth and I have new warrants out for our arrests, but other then that, not yet," he said absently. He dug out the last few pieces of paper. These looked like the ship's orders. Maybe there would be something here.

Will started to skim through them, but stopped when he saw a familiar name. "This is not good," he said as he continued to read.

"What?"

"'You are ordered to proceed to _Isla Cruces_ and search the island for any recent diggings. If none should be found, you will search the surrounding islands,'" Will quoted.

Bill swallowed. "They're after the chest."

"Aye," Will replied. "I need to tell the Captain." He picked up his lock pick set and slipped it into a pouch he kept on his belt.

He left most of the papers next to Bill as he headed for the Captain's cabin, the important ones in his hand. He stopped just outside. "I've got some news on Beckett," he told Palifico. Palifico nodded and opened the door.

"What is it?" Captain Jones snapped.

"Beckett is searching for the chest," Will said. "The orders from the shipwreck make that clear." He handed the papers over.

The Captain scanned through them quickly. He looked up at Will once he was done. "And where did you find these, Turner?" he snarled.

"They were in a locked strongbox, Captain," Will replied. He'd fallen back on nearly two decades of learned and practiced politeness in the hopes that he wouldn't anger the Captain further.

Captain Jones scowled. "So Beckett has not given up on the chest. I would have thought he'd have given up once Sparrow had failed. I was under the impression that he'd try something else."

Will did his best not to react to that.

The Captain tapped the papers with his claw. "I am not happy about this."

"Aye Captain," Will said when he realized that he was expected to respond.

"Take these papers and any others from the shipwreck and find a waterproof container for them."

"Aye Captain. The strongbox should be fine." Will took the papers and headed back out. For a moment, he wondered what the Captain was going to do.

* * *

So, any bets on what Captain Jones is going to do?


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

Author: immortaljedi aka jedipati

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the setting. I do own some of the plot.

Pairing and Characters: Ensemble cast, Mentions of W/E

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Pirate activity, some violence. Basically at the level of the movies.

Summary: Captain Jones begins to find out what Beckett is up to. Unfortunately, his methods mean that Beckett can continue to act.

_Ch 4_

Maccus watched closely as the crew readied for a battle. They were going to be outnumbered and outgunned, but they had the advantage. The ship would repair any damage in time and the crewmen were all but immortal.

And yet everyone was tense as they prepared. Several crewmen kept looking toward the Captain's cabin. It wasn't because the Captain had barricaded himself in there after giving his orders, though he had. No, it was because of the Chest that had been placed there.

The Captain was in a right foul mood with his heart on board. However, everyone knew why it had been dug up and brought back to the ship. With that Beckett searching for it, they couldn't afford to risk leaving it on an island somewhere.

Bootstrap approached. "All's secure, sir," he reported. Maccus nodded. He didn't want to report to the Captain, but he had to. Unless…

He looked at Bootstrap, who immediately picked up what he had in mind and started to back away, shaking his head.

Maccus reached out and grabbed Bootstrap. "Go tell the Captain," he ordered.

The other man looked down as he approached Palifico. The guard let him through after a quick exchange. Bootstrap disappeared into the cabin, acting like he was going to his executioner.

_Depending on the Captain's mood,_ Maccus thought, _that might be accurate._ After a moment, the Captain appeared on deck. Bootstrap left the cabin and headed for his station, looking relieved.

"Take us up," Captain Jones ordered Koleniko.

With a rush, the ship rose out of the ocean in between the four East India Trading Company ships.

The cannons were ready.

Captain Mark White of the Company ship _Harris_ was bored. The four ship convey had been dispatched with the orders to destroy any pirates they came across. In the three weeks they had been patrolling the Lesser Antilles, they'd found no pirates.

The only excitement had come in the first week when they'd met with a merchant ship. However, once all five ships realized that they were all on the same side, things calmed down.

White was looking forward to the end of this patrol. He allowed his mind to wander to Miss Mary Baynes. She was quite the beautiful young woman, and he was considering asking for her hand in marriage.

He nodded. Yes, as soon as they got back, he would call on Lord Baynes and ask for permission to court his daughter.

Captain White frowned as he noticed a disturbance in the water off to the port side.

A second later, he was scrambling back and calling for his lieutenant. The lieutenant took one look and called for all hands. The ghastly ship that had appeared from the depths settled between the _Harris_ and the _Pride of Jamaica_.

The ghost ship already had her cannons out and was firing on the _Pride_. The _Lady Fortuna_ was the first of their four ships to be ready and she returned fire. The ghost ship retaliated by blowing her to bits.

Captain White stared in horror at the legendary _Flying Dutchman_. He was sure that ship was going to be the last thing he ever saw, as a lucky shot from the Dutchman hit the rail next to him. He fell as the broken wood speared his side. And in one corner of his mind, he realized that he would not get to ask for Mary Baynes' hand in marriage.

Will stepped onto the deck of the ruined ship, the _Harris_. Other members of the _Dutchman_'s crew were swarming over the other three ships.

After they searched the ship, Will grabbed one of the survivors and pulled the man through the wall to the _Dutchman_. He pushed the man down next to the survivors from the other ships.

Will had no sympathy for the employees of the East India Trading Company, so he didn't say anything as the man retched. He well remembered how nauseating that form of travel could be for a mortal, and he considered it a good way to keep the Company man from fighting. Besides, the man worked for Beckett, and from his manner and dress, he was highly placed in the Company.

Will watched as the Captain approached. "There are twenty survivors, Captain," Maccus said.

Captain Jones smiled coldly as he looked at the line of survivors. "Are there?" he asked.

Will frowned. What did the Captain ask that? Captain Jones approached one of the survivors. "What were your orders?" he asked.

The man- an ordinary sailor from his dress- stammered. "I don't know, sir."

The Captain snorted. "Do you fear death?"

"W-what?"

"Do you fear death?"

"I… d-don't."

The Captain looked at Will. "To the depths."

Will nodded and approached the man. He hated this duty, and it was rare that he had to perform it. The man looked up at him in horror as Will drew his sword.

Will nodded to the man and stabbed. The man died instantly. Will moved around him and tossed him overboard to be claimed by the sea.

The most of rest of the survivors gasped. One tried to get up, but Palifico pushed him back down.

Will glanced at that man and smirked. He hated this, but they didn't need to know that.

The Captain was already questioning another sailor.

Will straightened. He had to do this when the Captain ordered it. But he was going to get drunk tonight, in the hopes of forgetting it.

After the Captain went through several survivors, and didn't really give any of them a chance to join the crew, he came to the well dressed man that Will had brought over

The man was nearly weeping as Captain Jones leaned over him. "What were your orders?" the Captain asked.

"We were… t-to find pirates," the man said. "Lord B-Beckett wants to wipe them out."

"Does he now?" the Captain asked. "And how does he plan to do that?"

The Captain continued to interrogate the man until he admitted that he didn't know anything more. By that time, the man was slightly calmer.

The Captain nodded finally. He looked down the line at the rest of the survivors, and then turned to Maccus. "There are no survivors," he said.

Maccus smiled. Will was glad that other crewmen were dealing with the last of the sailors.

"Captain! Two more ships heading our way!"

Captain Jones looked up at the lookout. He grabbed his spyglass to take a look. Once he'd assured himself that they were heading toward them; he glanced at the crew, most of whom were taking the salvage down below deck.

Will was more closely watching Captain Jones, however. The Captain snorted. "Take us down. I've no wish for another fight right now."

Will braced himself and made sure he had a good grip on the box he was carrying

They dove before the other ships got a good look at them. Will sighed and carried the box down to storage. He was off duty now, and he wanted to forget what he'd had to do.

Beckett narrowed his eyes as the _Endeavour_ approached the group of ships they were supposed to meet.

Around him, the crew was working to bring the _Endeavour_ up next to the closest of the wrecks. "There's nothing left!"

Beckett turned to face Captain Groves. "Yes, whoever did this is undoubtedly powerful."

"A loose cannon," Mercer said sourly.

"Indeed. One we will need to eliminate," Beckett said. "Or perhaps bring to our side."

Captain Groves sighed. "Excuse me sirs, I'm going to oversee the search for survivors. I'll leave the planning to you." He bowed out of the conversation and turned to his work.

Beckett nodded. Groves, at least, knew his place, and what he could and couldn't help with.

Beckett frowned as he turned back to the wrecks. Who could have done this? Which pirate in the area had the will, desire, and manpower to do this?

Beckett frowned. It was a pain to lose these four ships, and he wanted to find the culprit. They couldn't have been gone long; one of the ships was still burning as it slowly slipped below the waves. Yet, there was no sign of the pirate ships that would have been needed to destroy all four Company ships.

Beckett sighed. At least he now had cause to destroy the pirates as he wanted to.


	5. Chapter 5

Author: immortaljedi aka jedipati

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the setting. I do own some of the plot.

Pairing and Characters: Ensemble cast, Mentions of W/E

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Pirate activity, some violence. Basically at the level of the movies.

Summary: The crew of the _Hai Peng_ reach the Locker and find Jack. And Beckett starts doing what he wants to the pirates.

Author's Notes: I take a lot of dialogue from AWE in this chapter, though due to the changed circumstances, it's also been changed somewhat.

_

* * *

_

Ch 5

Jack Sparrow shook his head as he stared at a crew. It wasn't his crew, though Gibbs, Cotton, and Marty were a part of it. The monkey and parrot were there too. But most of them were unfamiliar, Chinese pirates.

And Barbossa was one of them. So they couldn't be his crew. His crew included both Turners, and Elizabeth, Anamaria, and even Pintel and Ragetti.

But perhaps Gibbs was his crew. "Mr. Gibbs!"

"Aye Captain!"

He exchanged words with his possibly-maybe-uncertainly first mate. It all boiled down to Gibbs telling him things he already knew and stating things he couldn't believe.

Jack wandered down the line. Cotton and his annoying parrot were there, but that was no surprise. Neither was Marty.

Tia Dalma, however, couldn't be here. She belonged in the swamp, surrounded by her many items that seemed so useless but were so useful.

No. Jack stared at her for a moment. She belonged in the sea. But not this sea.

So she wasn't here, not really. "Tia Dalma. You add an agreeable sense of the macabre to any delirium." But he could enjoy having someone else here, someone who wasn't his crew. Perhaps this meant he was finally going completely insane, and he wouldn't be tormented by what had happened.

He paused for a moment, watching Tia Dalma's face as she frowned at him.

He shrugged, flourishing his hands as he did so, and looked at Mr. Gibbs. Gibbs stared at him.

"He's mad," one of the Chinese pirates said.

Jack whirled around. "Who are you? An' I'm no more mad then anyone in this place."

"Tai Huang. These are my men."

"Ah," Jack said. Probably some of Sao Feng's group.

Jack turned to the last member of this odd hallucination-maybe-reality.

"Ah, Hector!"

"Jack," the-Barbossa-who-couldn't-possibly-really-be-here drawled. But the way he spoke made Jack uncertain. Perhaps he really was here. Well, if that was the case, then Jack knew what he needed to do.

"Go away," he told Barbossa.

"An' where would I go, Jack?" That drawled question clinched it. It was Barbossa, somehow.

"Not here," Jack told his one time first mate.

"Jack, we're here to get you out of the Locker," Gibbs finally said.

Jack turned to him. "An' that's just not possible, Mr. Gibbs. There's not been a breath of wind as long as I've been here. You should know that."

Tia Dalma smiled. "There will be wind."

"Well then, get to the _Pearl_," Jack ordered. He turned to Barbossa. "Not you."

Barbossa was saying something, but Jack was no longer paying attention. He opened his compass, and just as before, it spun wildly. He closed it and looked up, vexed.

"Where ya going, Jack?" Barbossa asked. "I have the maps." Jack turned to face the man. Barbossa tapped the rolled map he held.

Jack grimaced.

Beckett smiled slowly as he sat back in his chair. Things were finally coming together, despite the ongoing attacks on his ships. He finally had enough power and enough reasons to get permission to hang those accused of piracy.

Some, of course, were being offered the chance to spy for the Company, but he didn't expect that would pan out. Oh, some of the pirates would take the offer; perhaps even most of them, but Beckett doubted he'd get much from them.

Beckett glanced out at the line of people- of pirates and pirate sympathizers- who were being led to the gallows. They appeared thoroughly cowed by the soldiers that surrounded them.

Beckett smiled slowly as the line moved forward.

Captain Theodore Groves watched the hangings. His face was set, and no one who looked at him would guess that he was trying not to puke. This was wrong, completely wrong. Most of those people were innocent.

And if he said anything, he'd find himself up there. Groves sighed. He wished James Norrington was here, but word on the seas was that he'd joined Jack Sparrow on that last, doomed trip.

Yet, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann had also been seen with Sparrow, and they'd survived. Perhaps James had survived too.

Groves winced inwardly as a boy, perhaps only ten, climbed the stairs to join the others on the gallows. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that that boy had been kidnapped and forced to act as a cabin boy on a pirate ship. If he'd had any choice at all, the boy would have been apprenticed to a craftsman in town. And yet Lord Beckett had ordered the boy to the gallows.

The boy fiddled with something in his hands before looking up. Groves' eyes widened as the boy began to sing quietly. "The king and his men stole the queen from her bed… and bound her in her bones. The seas be ours and by the powers, where we will, we'll roam."

Next to the boy, a dark man started to sing hesitantly. Groves straightened his shoulders as he listened. "Yo ho, all hands. Hoist the colors high."

The crowd took up the refrain. "Heave ho, thieves and beggars: never shall we die!"

Groves was slightly amused as the soldiers guarding the prisoners were rattled and they stepped back as the song continued.

But Groves had to report to Beckett. He headed up to where the man was sitting. He felt somewhat foolish reporting what the man could already hear. "Lord Beckett! They've started to sing, sir."

"Finally," Beckett said. Groves could agree with him. Finally, someone was going to stand against Beckett. Someone beside whoever it was that destroyed those four ships.

"Captain Groves, prepare the _Endeavour_."

"Yes, sir," Groves said. He didn't like that the Royal Navy was subordinate to the Company, but for now, he would have to accept it. But if he received new orders, he was going to arrest Beckett as quickly as he could. And after this report was sent, he'd get new orders, he was certain.

Behind him, he heard the noise that meant another group of "pirates" had died. Including the boy.

Barbossa scowled as he watched the sunset. They were running out of time. Jack was studying the map, as he'd done for hours on end since they'd left the shores of the Locker.

Quite often, Jack spent the time muttering to himself as he rotated the rings of the map around. Barbossa watched him as he looked up, still talking to himself. Clearly, the Locker had damaged the man's mind even more than previously.

Still, damaged or not, Jack Sparrow was their best chance for getting out of the Land of the Dead.

Barbossa didn't think Sparrow was much of a captain, and how could a man as daft as Jack was lead them? But he and his strange ability to think differently from others was their only chance. And perhaps, Barbossa could keep Jack on the _Pearl_ once this was over. Barbossa would be the true captain, but Sparrow was useful. It would be easy to fool Sparrow into thinking he was in charge.

Barbossa fingered the item in his pocket, the one that showed that he was just as qualified to be a Captain as Jack. He didn't ask how Tia Dalma had found and returned the wooden eye to him, but without it, they wouldn't be able to free her.

Barbossa blinked as Jack jumped up. "What's that?" Jack yelped. The other man rushed to the side.

Tai Huang and Gibbs followed, trying to see. "Where?"

Jack ran to the other side of the ship.

Barbossa headed down to the abandoned map. He saw the writing Jack had found, "up is down", and the way he'd turned the boat in the middle upside down.

"We're rocking the ship!" Gibbs yelled.

"Aye, he's on to it!" Barbossa exclaimed as he looked up. Mad Jack Sparrow comes through again.

He headed down below, but just as he reached the stairs, a thought hit him. "Time it with the swell!" he ordered.

He hurried below deck and roused the off duty crewmen with a few insults. He ordered them to let everything shift with the movement of the ship.

He let the cargo loose before heading back up top. The _Pearl_ was rocking alarmingly by the time he made it back up and joined the crowd running back and forth.

After several more times running back and forth, the ship finally tipped over.

Barbossa held on as something he'd never thought to welcome happened. The _Black Pearl_ capsized and turned completely upside down. Out of the corner of his eye, Barbossa saw Jack looked down, confused, and then blink.

Green enveloped them all. A second later, the water around them rushed up- or down. They were right side up all of a sudden. Barbossa coughed and struggled to get his breath back once the ship was on the surface. Around him, everyone else was doing the same.

Gibbs said it best. "Blessed sweet westerlies, we're back!"

Tia Dalma looked to the sun- which was just rising. "It is sunrise." She did not sound surprised.

Barbossa looked at the rising sun and smiled. Then he drew his pistol and aimed at Jack. Jack was just as quick on the draw and had his own pistol pointed right back. Gibbs pulled out his own gun and aimed at Barbossa.

They stared at each other for a few moments before Barbossa chuckled. Jack smiled and they both lowered their weapons.

Barbossa smiled. "All right then!" he announced as he brought his gun back up. Unfortunately, Jack was waiting.

It was a standoff, but Barbossa wasn't going to let that stop him. "The Brethren Court will be a-gathering at Shipwreck Cove. And Jack, you and I are a-going. There'll be no arguing that point."

Jack was suddenly intent, more like the man who had shot Barbossa nearly two years ago then the fractured man they had found in the Locker. "I is arguing the point. If there's pirates a-gathering, I'm pointing my ship the other way."

Barbossa snorted. "We're gathering to fight Beckett. And if we don't stand together, he'll hunt us down, one by one, 'til there be none left but you."

Jack smiled. "Quite like the sound of that. Captain Jack Sparrow, the last pirate. In any case, I have something more important t' do."

"An' what could be more important then this? You'll be fightin' Beckett- and likely Jones- alone. How does that figure into your more important things?"

"I'm still working on that," Jack said. "But I would face him alone anyway. I have things to settle wi' the slimy git. With both o' the slimy gits. But I will not be going back to the Locker, mate. Count on that." He fired.

Barbossa blinked as the gun just spat out a bit of water. He fired in return. The same thing happened.

He glanced down at his gun as Gibbs groaned. "Wet powder."

Barbossa sighed but before anything else could happen, the coin he kept next to the wooden eyeball started to vibrate. He pulled it out. They all stared at the vibrating coin.

"The song's been sung," Barbossa proclaimed.

* * *

So the Pirate Lords will gather, and they will need to decide what to do. But without Captain Swann, can they go to war? And will Beckett attack them?

Well, you're not going to get all the answers next week, but you'll get some of them.

Until next time, ladies and gentlemen, I bid you farewell.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: I take some dialogue from AWE in this chapter.

_

* * *

_

Ch 6

Elizabeth was the first person on board to realize that the Kraken was near. Leviathan had quickly adopted Elizabeth as a kindred soul. Maccus figured that it was because they were both female. Everyone else agreed. So, when she wrapped a tentacle around Elizabeth, the woman was surprised but not shocked. "Hello, Leviathan."

_[Hello Elizabeth. I have news for Captain Jones.]_

Elizabeth nodded. "Maccus! Leviathan has news for the Captain!" she called out.

Maccus looked up. "Aye! Swann, back to work!" He headed toward the Captain's cabin.

"Aye sir!" Elizabeth shifted. "I need to get back to work," she told the Kraken.

_[I don't want to let go,]_ Leviathan said playfully.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and waited. The Captain approached quickly. "And why aren't you working, Swann?"

"I'm… stuck, sir," Elizabeth said. Soon after she'd joined the crew, she'd learned that she couldn't travel through the Kraken's tentacles.

Will had laughed, but had been sympathetic. Bootstrap had quietly told them both that no one on the crew could escape the Kraken when she grabbed them.

Captain Jones snorted and looked up at the Kraken. "Maccus says ye ha' news, Leviathan?"

_[Yes Captain. The Pirate Lords seem to be gathering again.]_

Captain Jones smiled. "I'd wondered how long it would take them."

_[There is a man, I believe his name is Beckett, who has started to do everything he can to destroy all pirates.]_

Elizabeth scowled at Beckett's name. It was his fault everything had gone wrong.

"Ah," the Captain murmured. "No, you're right. This Beckett has been a nuisance. He's looking for a way to control me as well."

Leviathan was silent for a moment. _[I assume you've taken precautions? Your heart can be used to control you.]_

The Captain scowled. "Yes, I've taken precautions."

_[Good.]_

"Will you let my crewman get back to work?" Captain Jones asked peevishly. Elizabeth glanced up at the bulk of the Kraken. Either he was trying to change the subject, or he didn't want her listening to the rest of this conversation.

_[Crewwoman.]_

Elizabeth winced. Leviathan was in a playful mood, and the Captain was not.

"Fine then," Captain Jones snarled. "Will ye let her go?"

Leviathan let go of Elizabeth and instead grabbed the Captain. _[We will talk later, Elizabeth.]_

"Aye, Leviathan."

Captain Jones glanced at her. "Go, Swann. Get back to work."

"Aye Captain."

Jack glanced around the room. It had been nearly a month since the _Pearl_ had arrived at Shipwreck Cove and the rest of the Pirate Lords were finally here.

That month had been just what Jack had needed- a chance to readjust to the real world. He felt on a much more even keel. And he knew this had to be real. None of his hallucinations in the Locker had lasted this long. They had rarely lasted beyond when he went to sleep.

Jack had spent the entire month planning. He had to get things right the first time. If he failed, he'd end up back in the Locker, and he was determined that he would never go back.

But he had to face down, or better yet, kill Jones. His stay in the Locker had shown him what he had to do. He was never returning to the Locker. If that meant he had to become immortal to do it, then he would.

Not that he minded the idea of becoming immortal. Jack frowned as Barbossa stopped next to him. He knew Barbossa was up to something, something that Tia Dalma was either helping him with or orchestrating. Barbossa smiled. "Now we must decide what to do about Beckett," he murmured.

"I'm all for running," Jack muttered back. He might not trust Barbossa, but he knew where he stood with the other man.

Barbossa smiled thinly as the other lords talked amongst themselves. "If I could, I'd point the _Pearl_ away from the Caribbean. There's good targets near Africa, and no one knows she's back."

Jack frowned. "She's my ship." He shook his head. Now, as the meeting was about to start, was not the time to have that argument. "Why can't you?"

"How do you think I'm back from the dead, Jack? Like you, I had help. And I had to make a bargain to stay back."

Jack nodded. "With Tia Dalma."

"Aye, with her," Barbossa confirmed. "An' she can and will return me to dust if I don't uphold my end."

"Not that that's something to mourn, Hector, but why are you here if you need to uphold your end?"

Barbossa smiled. "That is not something I'm willing t' explain t' the man who murdered me in the first place."

"Perhaps if you hadn't stolen my ship, I wouldn't have shot you." Barbossa snorted and turned back to the group. Jack remained where he was. He shouldn't be here. He needed to take care of Jones. Somehow. Kill the monster, and do whatever it took to make sure he never had to go to the Locker again.

He'd wasted a month. Who knows how long it would be before Jones realized that he'd escaped… with some help.

Jack turned around as he heard several loud clunks. Barbossa was starting the meeting. "As he who issued summons, I convene this, the Fourth Brethren Court." Jack sighed. Barbossa continued, "To confirm your lordship and right to be heard, present now, your pieces of eight, my fellow cap'ns."

The other lords pulled out their pieces of eight and dropped them into a flat pan lined with cloth that Cotton was carrying around the room. Barbossa went last, dropping a wooden eye.

One of the lords- Villanueva- called out "Sparrow!"

Jack frowned, but he was willing to go along for now. He pulled off the small rope of beads that hung down over his bandana and dropped it and his attached piece of eight into the pan.

Villanueva sat down, satisfied.

Jack smiled slightly as Cotton nodded and took the pan away. The parrot squawked. "Wind in the sails!"

Maccus glanced around the hall. Will Turner was doing the same, though his gaze kept moving to the two figures near the end of the hall. "I've never actually been in the meeting room," Maccus said quietly. "The last time the Brethren Court met, the Captain didn't care to know what was going on."

"And he does this time," Will muttered. He wasn't asking a question as they joined the crews behind Ching and Jocard. Anyone would think they belonged to the crew next to them. Luckily, Captain Jones had been able to make it seem as if they were normal humans, not crewmen on the _Dutchman_.

"Beckett is our enemy too," Maccus reminded Will.

"Believe me, I wish I'd run him through when he first arrested me," Will grumbled. "Or that Elizabeth had shot him when she escaped." He looked at the two near the end. "I must be going mad," he said.

"What is it?" Maccus asked.

"Those two. I could have sworn one was Jack Sparrow. And the other… I watched him die nearly two years ago."

Maccus looked over at them. "One does look like Sparrow," he agreed. "Who is the other?"

"Barbossa," Will said.

"You don't mean the one who dumped Bootstrap in the ocean?"

"I do. I was there when Jack shot him. I watched him die." Will shook his head. "But then again…"

"You're not one to talk?"

"Neither are you."

Maccus smiled. "None of the crew can complain about something weird happening."

"I am complaining. He was dead. He tried to kill me, and my father, and Elizabeth. He should still be dead. I'm not complaining about how weird it is that he's alive. I'm complaining that he's alive."

"He's one of the Pirate Lords, or he wouldn't be here."

"I know," Will said. "But I hope neither of them sees me."

Maccus nodded. "You're right. If Sparrow recognizes you… how is he out of the Locker?"

Will shrugged. He wanted to know how too, but for now, he'd just watch. "They're starting."

Will watched Barbossa as he called the meeting to order and Cotton collected the strange trinkets.

"Why are those pieces of junk called pieces of eight?" He leaned over to ask Maccus as Jack dropped his beads into the pan.

Maccus sighed. "The story goes that the first Pirate Lords were broke, so they used whatever they had in their pockets."

Will shorted. It sounded just like pirates, actually. "What'd they use them for?"

"To bind the sea goddess Calypso into a human form. I'm surprised you didn't know this."

Will blinked. "Before last year, I wasn't a sailor or a pirate. I had no reason to know it."

"True. Now be quiet, I want to listen."

Will turned his attention back to the meeting. Barbossa was just finishing up a speech about Calypso. He smiled and finished. "That was a mistake."

Will blinked. What was Barbossa planning?

* * *

So… what is the good Captain Barbossa planning? Well, we know what, but they don't. And I'm willing to bet that Captain Jones is not going to like it.


	7. Chapter 7

Summary: Unsurprisingly, Captain Jones is not happy about Barbossa's plans.

_

* * *

_

Ch 7

"Maccus, stop!" Will called out as he was dragged toward the docks.

Maccus slowed and let go of Will's arm. "We have to get back to the _Dutchman_," Maccus said.

"Yes, but what's the rush?" Will asked. He still had to hurry to keep up with the first mate.

"They're going to free Calypso," Maccus said.

"They didn't agree to that," Will protested. "They're going to hide!"

"Didn't you see that crewman… the one with the parrot?"

"That's Cotton," Will explained.

"I don't particularly care, Turner," Maccus snarled.

"Sorry," Will said. "What about him?"

"He kept the pieces of eight."

Will blinked. "I missed that. But I don't see why it's that big a deal."

"If she's freed, the Captain will not be happy," Maccus said.

Will frowned. He obviously didn't have the whole story. He nodded. He'd ask his father later.

"Let's get back to the ship."

Will frowned again. He was still confused. This sea goddess wouldn't be a threat to the Captain, would she?

Maccus sighed. "Not a threat, but the Captain doesn't want her free." Will blinked, and realized he'd asked that out loud. "Now come on!" Maccus grabbed Will and dragged him into and through the wall of the nearby wreck.

Maccus scowled as they reappeared on board the _Dutchman_. He was not looking forward to reporting to the Captain, and then he'd probably have to explain things to Turner. Turner should know these stories, even if he hadn't been a sailor before last year.

Or the Captain would explain. Perhaps. He let go of Turner and headed toward the Captain's cabin. Turner followed, either curious or believing that he needed to report as well.

That would probably be a good idea, actually. Turner would have noticed things that Maccus missed.

They entered. "Good. How did the meeting go?"

Maccus took a deep, relatively unneeded breath. "They're going to free Calypso."

The Captain froze. "What did you say?"

"Maccus thinks that one of the Pirate Lords is going to free Calypso," Turner reported.

Captain Jones looked at Maccus. "Is this true?" he asked; his voice was carefully controlled. Maccus struggled not to wince. The Captain was far angrier then he'd ever seen him.

"Aye, Captain. He has all the pieces, and no doubt he knows the incantation. He also tried to get them to do it."

The Captain cursed, his control gone. "No! They cannot! She must remain bound!"

Maccus had expected this reaction, but Turner looked shocked.

However, the man was certainly brave. He set his shoulders and spoke up. "Captain, the man who plans this died two years ago."

Captain Jones narrowed his eyes. "How do you know this?"

"I watched him die," Turner said. "Somehow, he's back. He might have made a deal with Calypso."

The Captain nodded. "Who was it?"

"His name is Barbossa. He was Jack Sparrow's mutinous first mate," Turner swallowed and looked away. "Jack was there too."

Maccus winced. He hadn't planned on telling the Captain that yet. Turner caught his eye and shrugged once. Maccus frowned.

The Captain was fuming. "Maccus, order Koleniko to set course to Shipwreck Cove."

"Aye Captain," Maccus said, glad to escape.

"Then come back here. The two of you are going to tell me everything that happened in this meeting."

Maccus sighed. So much for that idea of escaping. He ducked out of the cabin and headed for Koleniko. After he'd given the order, and seen that they were changing course, heading into the wind, he headed back into the Captain's cabin.

There, Turner looked incredibly uncomfortable. Maccus hadn't seen the younger crewman look so uncomfortable since before he'd taken the oath. The resemblance to the young mortal who'd been so determined to leave was enhanced by the fact that they still appeared to be normal humans.

The Captain apparently recognized this as well, for he made a quick gesture and the illusion faded. Turner's uncomfortable stance didn't change, but he looked less like the mortal he'd been.

* * *

Davy eyed his crewmen as they finished describing the meeting at Shipwreck Cove.

Turner still looked uncomfortable, but less so as Davy had calmed down slightly. Davy was still furious, but he was thinking rather then reacting now, planning how to deal with this mess. With luck, they'd reach the Cove before Calypso was freed.

"To sum the situation up, I have three problems," Davy finally said. "First and foremost, Calypso must not be freed. Secondly, Beckett is still after a way to control me. Thirdly, we have to recapture Jack Sparrow."

Maccus nodded, and Turner relaxed more. Davy nodded. Good. Turner had only been on this ship for a year, but Davy knew that Turner would take Maccus' place when his first mate left the ship. He needed his first mates to be comfortable working closely with him.

"I am open to suggestions," Davy said unwillingly. He didn't like not having all the answers.

Maccus shook his head. He had no idea what to do. Turner frowned in thought. "How far away is Shipwreck Cove?"

"Too far," Maccus offered. "It'll take a day to get there, at least, even underwater."

Turner nodded. "Jack is at Shipwreck Cove, and he'll probably be trapped there for a while. Besides which, you can always track him down later, Captain." He started to pace, obviously thinking hard. "I don't deny that Calypso is our biggest problem, though I don't quite understand why. But is there, realistically, anything you can do before we reach Shipwreck Cove, Captain?" He made a face. "Reality being fairly mutable, it seems."

Davy snorted at the last sentence, but thought the question over. He could send some of the crew to the Cove, but he was the only one who would recognize Calypso while she was still bound. If wouldn't make sense to have them search for all the women in the pirate fortress. He frowned. "I see your point, Turner," he said. "I'm the only one who would recognize Calypso."

Turner nodded absently. He had to know that Davy wouldn't leave the ship. The _Dutchman_ was always faster when her Captain was on board. And Calypso might be on land. The Cove itself wasn't land, but the island surrounding it was. Turner frowned.

Davy watched him as he thought. "I can't think of anything, Captain," Turner said.

Davy frowned at him. Then he looked at Maccus. "Neither of you can think of anything to do?"

Turner shook his head slowly. Maccus looked down. "I think we're doing everything we can, Captain."

"Turner, out," Davy ordered. "Don't discuss any of this with anyone. Not even Swann or Bootstrap."

"Aye, Captain," Turner said, though he looked less then happy about his orders. He turned to go, and paused. "Can I tell them about Jack Sparrow and Barbossa?"

Davy frowned. "Fine. But only that they're alive, not what they plan to do."


	8. Chapter 8

Summary: Barbossa and Jack leave Shipwreck Cove, while Beckett plans. Will and Elizabeth begin making plans of their own.

_Ch 8_

Jack watched as two pirates who appeared to be part of Jocard's group ducked away from the crowd and headed for the docks. He could almost swear that one of them had been Will Turner.

Jack frowned. He knew that was impossible. Will would be on his way to becoming fishy by now. The man Jack had seen was completely human.

Still, the man had looked like Will, from the back. And anyone who left the meeting like that was probably suspect. Jack was pretty sure he should tell someone else.

"Ah, should those two be leaving like that?"

Barbossa turned just as the Turner look-a-like ducked around the corner.

"Who?" he asked.

"They looked to be part of Jocard's group," Jack said. "But I could have sworn one of them was Turner."

"Turner is dead, Jack. He was dumped into the ocean years ago."

Jack grimaced. "Not Bootstrap. His son. An' Bootstrap and Will are on the _Flying Dutchman_."

Barbossa blinked. "Then it can't be young Turner, if he's on the _Flying Dutchman_."

Jack gestured absently. "Aye, but it occurs to me that the ol' git what's Captain o' that _Crocodile Machine_ might know a way to keep his crew from scaring th' kiddies."

Barbossa frowned. People often did that when Jack started talking. "You think Jones can make them look human?"

"Did I not just say that? What do you think Mr. Gibbs?"

Gibbs frowned. "Aye," he said dubiously.

Jack sighed. "No one ever listens," he moaned.

Barbossa rolled his eyes. "We can check that they are part of Jocard's crew before we start worrying. I'll mention it to Sao Feng, he can check around."

Jack nodded. "So I'll just follow them…" he trailed off as Barbossa deftly snagged the back of his coat as he turned to go.

"No, Jack. We're heading back to the _Pearl_. We have some things to take care of, 'fore the rest of th' Lords realize we've done what we need t' do."

Jack smiled coldly. "What we need t' do, Hector? As I recall, 'twasn't me who made a deal with th' goddess in human form." But he obliged and headed back to the _Pearl_.

Barbossa looked at him, but didn't ask how he knew Tia Dalma was a goddess. "Calypso wishes to be freed, Jack."

Jack didn't react to that. "Aye, but who's t' say she'll thank us. 'Twas the first court that trapped her. Why would she be happy with us?"

Barbossa smiled tightly. "She'll be grateful t' me for keeping my part o' our bargain.

Jack frowned. He was distracted by several thoughts, most of which made no sense. One stood out as related to their conversation. He hoped his crew could understand what he was thinking. "Didn't the first court agree that she would never be free?"

"Aye," Barbossa said grimly. "But I feel no need to be bound to an agreement where all o' them have been dead for near two hundred years. An' Tia Dalma is capable of returning us both t' the grave- with the _Pearl_."

"Your point is well made." Jack bowed slightly as they arrived at the _Pearl._ Jack began to give orders. Barbossa may have planned this, but he didn't want to get caught by the other Pirate Lords when they realized that Barbossa had stolen the Pieces of Eight.

Barbossa broke in with a few orders of his own, but they matched what Jack wanted to do, so Jack didn't bother to complain.

He was already planning. Perhaps Calypso would be grateful enough to help him pull one over on Jones.

* * *

The _Pearl_ was gone. The only person who noticed she had left was Sao Feng, who had a very good idea about what was happening. The Lord of Singapore nodded once. It was time to leave. The rest of the Lords would be trapped here when Beckett found the place. It was their foolish belief that they would be safe that trapped them.

He also didn't want to be here when Calypso destroyed the Cove in her anger.

He returned to his ship. "Get us ready," he ordered as he stood on the dock. "We must depart within the hour."

"No, Sao Feng."

Sao Feng turned to look behind him. Captain Teague watched him. "I know you're in league with Barbossa. Where are the Pieces?"

Sao Feng narrowed his eyes. "I fail to see how you came to that conclusion," he said.

Teague smirked. "That's for me to know, and you to wonder about, Sao Feng. Where are the Pieces?"

"I don't know," Sao Feng said. "I didn't even realize they were gone. Perhaps Barbossa or Sparrow has them." He blinked, pretending to realize something. "I watched the _Pearl_ leave. I didn't want to be trapped here when Beckett found us either."

Teague snorted. "We'll see," he said.

* * *

Beckett grumbled as he leaned back in his chair. Even now, on the _Endeavour_, he was inundated with paperwork.

Beckett frowned as he stared down at the report he'd already read three times. He hadn't liked the information the first time he'd been given it, and he didn't like it now. He knew that the pirates had some sort of governing body, the ones that had written the code, and he knew they were meeting.

But he couldn't find anyone who would tell him where. The privateers he had pardoned didn't know. In fact, it seemed like they had never known. Shipwreck Cove existed, he knew that. He even had a general idea of where it was. It was close by, he knew. And yet it was as if no pirate knew how to find it. He and his men certainly hadn't been able to find it.

Even his spies in the Brethren's fleets weren't able to tell him. It was as if there was something that kept them from telling him.

Beckett sighed and set the report aside. He was doing no good just staring at it. The strongest pirates were meeting and he had to be ready for whatever they planned.

Beckett picked up another report. This one was also an older report, and told him that the _Dutchman_ had been spotted near _Isla Cruces_.

Beckett sighed. That avenue was likely closed now. Captain Jones had apparently learned that someone was searching for a way to control him. Though Beckett supposed that the Captain of the _Flying Dutchman _could have simply become paranoid after the events of last year.

Mercer entered and placed a stack of papers on his desk. "Ah, Mercer. Is there any new developments? What news from the _Intrepid_?"

"Nothing about the Brethren. The Admiralty has sent a missive, which finally reached us. They feel that Captain Groves should command our fleet."

Beckett nodded. "I do not see a problem with that," he said. "Certainly, Captain Groves is a good commander and will inspire our men to work harder."

"There is some bad news, sir."

Beckett sighed. "There always is," he said. He nodded.

"Two more of our ships have been destroyed. We still don't know who's doing it."

"When?"

"Two weeks ago. The news just now arrived with the _Intrepid_."

Beckett frowned. "And you are sure the strongest pirates are meeting right now?"

"Yes," Mercer said. "Our spies are clear on that. It's just not clear where they are meeting."

Beckett sighed. "And I know it's not the French or the Spanish. They've agreed to aid us during our fight with pirates."

"Could it be Jones?"

Beckett frowned. "What would he gain from it? He knows that no one can control him without his heart. Unless he's worried I'll find some other way." Beckett frowned and returned to the report on the _Dutchman_. This speculation wasn't going to give him the answers. Neither was rereading old reports. He sighed and pulled over some of the new paperwork he had to deal with. He looked up. "Is there anything else?"

"No sir," Mercer said.

"Then you're dismissed," Beckett replied, returning to his paperwork. There was always paperwork.

* * *

Elizabeth watched as Will ducked into the hold. He was trying not to show how upset he was, but Elizabeth could read him easily. No one else would notice, however. She beckoned him over.

"What's wrong?" she asked once he sat down next to her.

Will sighed and leaned back. "I can't talk about it. Captain's orders."

Elizabeth nodded. "Can you tell me anything?"

Will sighed. "Jack is alive."

"What?" She breathed. "How? We watched…"

Will ran his hand down her arm, stopping to rub the shell that had grown just above her elbow. "I don't know. But I'm almost certain it was him."

Elizabeth leaned against him. "He had to have had help. The Locker can't… There's just no way he could have escaped on his own." She brushed against the markings on his chest.

"Aye," Will said. "But it gets worse. I think I know who helped him."

"Who?"

Will took a deep breath. "Barbossa. He was at the meeting too. He and Jack were talking before the meeting."

"WHAT?"

Will flinched back at the shout. Several other crewmen looked over at them.

Elizabeth didn't notice. She stared at Will, stunned. "But we were there when he died. I checked. He was dead!"

Will leaned forward again. "I know. But somehow, it was Barbossa. I'm certain of it."

He glanced around. Everyone had gone back to whatever else they had been doing, though Clanker was watching them idly. "But I think the Captain is going to track them down. We can get our own revenge on Barbossa- and Jack too, if we want."

Elizabeth smiled slowly.

* * *

Guess the extra features shout out!

I am putting Destiny's Fight on a brief hiatus. I will not be posting a new chapter next week, and possible not the week after. However, I promise that I will post by December 3rd at the latest, unless something happens to me.

I didn't particularly want to do this, but I need to concentrate on other projects. (Other projects include both a very important paper for school and a short story that I had intended to have out for you by Halloween.) Rest assured that Destiny's Fight is only taking a short break, and I will finish this story.

I'm sorry, but I promise this is only for a couple of weeks. Enjoy the story and I'll see you all on December 3rd at the latest, hopefully by November 26th.


	9. Chapter 9

Summary: Calypso is freed, and Davy Jones isn't happy.

As always, I must thank my wonderful beta, arquenniel, for the help. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

_Ch 9_

Clanker watched Turner and Swann. He'd only been watching idly, but when Swann had given Turner that absolutely wicked grin, he'd started paying more attention.

They were up to something.

Turner grinned back. His grin looked fit for shark, rather then a man.

Bootstrap stopped next to Clanker. "What are they up to?"

"I don't know," Clanker admitted.

Turner looked up at them. He smiled. "Father, you're going to want to hear this," he called.

Bootstrap nodded and wandered over. Clanker followed casually. Swann frowned at him then shrugged. "So, what happened?" Bootstrap asked.

Turner sighed. "I can't talk about most of it."

"Why?" Clanker asked.

"Captain's orders," Turner said sourly. "But… Jack Sparrow is alive."

Clanker blinked, and Bootstrap gasped. "The Captain is going after him, isn't he?" Bootstrap said.

"I think so, eventually," Turner replied.

"Going to deal with Beckett first?" Clanker said. "Makes sense. We can always chase Sparrow down later, but Beckett could become a threat."

Swann nodded. Turner didn't say anything. Clanker stared at the younger crewman. "What are you not telling us?"

Turner shook his head. Bootstrap sighed. "Captain's orders, right Will?"

"Aye. I can't talk about it yet," Turner said. "Father… there's more I can tell you, though. And I don't think you're going to like it at all."

* * *

Jack nodded to Cotton, who brought the _Pearl_ to a stop. Barbossa looked around and nodded. Jack smirked briefly. Barbossa had seen reason, had seen that Jack knew what he was doing when it came to finding a place to hide. There was a small, nameless island nearby. If Calypso decided to destroy the _Pearl_, they could make it to the island, and would probably only be stranded for a week or so.

Jack watched as the crew squared things off. This was just about the best spot they were going to find to pull off this crazy escapade.

Barbossa apparently came to the same conclusion. "Aye, this is the best spot for it," he said.

"And how do we go about this… ritual?"

Barbossa smiled at Gibbs' question. "The pieces of eight must be brought together. Then we must burn the items, and someone must speak the words: "Calypso, I release you from your human bonds."

Tai Huang frowned. "That is all?"

Jack leaned back gracefully. "What Barbossa is not telling you is that it must be said as if to a lover." He smirked. "And he won't be able t' do it."

"I'll have ye know, Sparrow…"

"Captain Sparrow, mate," Jack interrupted his former first mate. "Get it right."

Barbossa snorted.

Tia Dalma walked over to them. "Those who would attempt to control the seas will find us soon," she said. "We must do this now."

Jack whirled around to scan the horizon. A distant ship was speeding past the island, but it didn't slow, stop, or even give any sign that the people on it had seen them. Jack frowned. That ship was sailing at a very close tack, too close to be going so fast…

"The _Flying Dutchman_ is over there," he said.

Barbossa turned to look, pulling out his spyglass. "Aye, 'tis," he said after a moment. "Let's get this over with before they see us. Mr. Cotton, the pieces of eight."

"AWK! Wind in the Sails!" the parrot exclaimed. Cotton looked at Jack, who nodded.

Cotton smiled briefly and headed into the captain's cabin to get the pieces. He returned with them less then a minute later.

Jack glanced down at them before turning to the crew gathered around.

They were staring down at the pieces, waiting for the two pirate lords to act.

Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Mr. Gibbs. We could do with something to make sure they burn."

Gibbs poured the contents of his flask onto the Pieces. Jack glanced at the _Dutchman_, hurrying away. He didn't want to do this right now, where the _Dutchman_ and her crew might notice the activity, but there was no choice. Tia Dalma had forced their hands. If he backed down now, there would probably be another mutiny. And Tia Dalma would eviscerate him.

Jack could understand her desire for freedom, however. As he thought, Barbossa stepped up and placed a smoking brand against the alcohol. "Calypso! I release you from your human bonds!" he exclaimed dramatically.

Nothing happened. Tia Dalma stared at him as though he was crazy.

Jack rolled his eyes and looked to the sky. "No wonder you stole my ship, if you talk to all the women in your bed this way. Must have been frustrated."

Barbossa shot him a look of pure venom as a low chuckle ran through the watching crew. "If you think you can do better…"

Jack grinned, showing all his teeth. "Easily," he purred.

Jack smiled at Tia Dalma. His smile turned predatory as he sashayed up to her. She smiled at him. He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the cheek and then took her hand gently. "Calypso… I release you from your human bonds," he said softly.

The pieces burst into flame. Tia Dalma gasped and her eyes rolled back. Most of the crewmen backed away as the flames guttered out. The pieces were destroyed

Tia Dalma- Calypso- looked up and smiled slowly. Then a massive wave swamped the _Pearl_. Jack grabbed the nearby railing to keep from being swept away.

The water drained away, leaving the crew wet and shocked, but all the men were accounted for. The _Pearl_ didn't appear to be damaged. Jack looked up as he heard a female voice speak and another wave swamped the ship. "I will spare you. But the Brethren Court will be destroyed."

He blinked water out of his eyes again. Calypso was gone.

* * *

Hadras was the first crewman to see the woman standing there. He blinked, because the dark woman was simply standing there, looking quite unconcerned.

Hadras turned to alert someone else, just as Maccus noticed her too.

"Captain!" Maccus yelped.

The Captain whirled around… and froze. The woman, however, was staring at Turner.

"Tia Dalma?" Turner asked.

She smiled at him. "Ya still have that touch of destiny, William Turna."

Turner grimaced, but before he could reply, the Captain shook off whatever shock he felt and headed straight toward them.

The woman turned to the Captain. "What has become of you, Davy Jones?" She asked somberly.

The Captain straightened. "I could ask the same of you," he said harshly.

Turner inhaled sharply, his eyes darting to the woman, then to the Captain.

The Captain frowned. "Not a word on this, Turner." He turned back to face the woman. "Perhaps we should take this ta my cabin."

Everyone in the crew watched them go. Then they all looked at Turner, who had walked over to the rail and was leaning on it. He seemed to know that they were looking at him, without even looking up. "You know I can't say anything," he said.

"Will, how do you know her?" Swann asked. "And who is she?"

Turner sighed. "I met her very shortly before I was captured. It's a long story. I…" He shook his head and trailed off. "Never mind," he finally finished. "It's not that important. I hope."

Swann leaned against the rail next to him. They had apparently forgotten the rest of the crew, who were listening intently. "What did she mean when she said that you have a touch of destiny?"

Turner sighed. "I've wondered about that for a year now. I don't know."

The ship rocked as the sea suddenly turned rough- too rough. The crew scattered in an attempt to keep the ship afloat. The waves began to swamp them. Hadras looked up. There was absolutely no change in the wind. This should not be happening. The _Dutchman_ never had this many problems in rough water.

* * *

Once again, I apologize for the hiatus, and I hope that you're all happy that this story is back.


	10. Chapter 10

I'm posting early, since I'm not sure I'll have time tomorrow.

Summary: Calypso and Jones have a lovers spat. The results… are… well…

_Ch 10_

* * *

Davy didn't look at Calypso as he led her into his cabin, where at least they'd be guaranteed a bit of privacy. It was bad enough that Turner had figured out enough of the story to guess the rest. He didn't need for his entire crew to know the story.

"Why have you come here, Calypso?" he asked harshly once he'd closed the door.

She smiled at him. "Where else would I come, Davy Jones?" she asked. "After all, we are bound by more then life."

"You broke those bonds," he accused. "I did the duty you charged me with. For ten years, I ferried those who died at sea. And then came the day you said you would meet me. You weren't there." He turned away. "You weren't there," he repeated, softer now. "You promised me you'd be there."

"But I am the sea, my sweet. I am changeable and unpredictable. I cannot be tamed. Why did you expect anything different?"

Davy scowled. "We agreed- you promised- that those ten years would be enough. I would have been released!"

"And then I would have lost you, Davy Jones. You would have been mortal again."

Davy stepped back. "Did ye never think that I didn't want ta be bound ta the _Dutchman_ for eternity?"

"You would rather have died, my sweet?"

"Do not call me that," Davy said. He didn't answer her question, because he wasn't sure what his answer would have been. He turned away from her. "You had no right. If you had been there…"

"Human years meant nothing to me. I did not know that the time had come until I felt your anguish. Soon after, I could not come to you."

"The Brethren Court bound you into a single form," Davy said. He could not tell her everything about that act- he knew she didn't know how they had learned to bind her. He turned back to face her.

"It was torture," she said, and her voice broke for a moment. She reached out and touched his chest. "Cut off from the sea… from all that I love."

Davy stepped back before she could do anything. "Calypso, you betrayed me," he said. "Goddess ye are, but ye promised ta meet me. Why are you here now?"

She lowered her hand. "You have corrupted your purpose, Davy Jones."

"I had no choice but to leave the duty you charged me."

She scowled and straightened. "The duty I charged you is not one that can be abandoned so easily. It will call you once again."

"If I could be assured that you would keep your end of the bargain, I might do that duty. But I canna be sure." Davy frowned. "I have more important matters to deal with than a duty that I no longer want. If you have simply come here ta berate me, then it is time for you ta leave."

She frowned, and he was abruptly reminded that she was a goddess. A sea goddess, and he was of the sea. "You will not order me around, Davy Jones!" she snapped.

Davy forged on. "This is my ship, Calypso! I will not do a duty if there is no promise of a reward!"

The ship rocked alarmingly, and he knew that the sea had responded to her temper. "Then perhaps it is time for a Captain who will do his Duty," she said.

Davy laughed bitterly. "So you show your true colors. You never loved me. You just wished for someone ta do a thankless job."

Calypso scowled at him. "That is not true, Davy. I love you, and would give you everything. But you have become so corrupted that I fear I have no choice." She crossed the cabin and stood before the Chest. "You have locked your heart from the world and become so cruel."

Davy lunged forward as she reached for the Chest. He grabbed her hand just before she touched it. She smiled at him, wicked and seductive. "Would you give up your corruption, Davy Jones?" she asked. "Will you take back your heart and your Duty?" She reached out with her free hand and placed her hand over the place where his heart should go. "Will you take me back?"

"Why should I?" Davy snarled.

She sobered. "Because there is one who can take your place."

Davy laughed. "If you are referring to Turner, he already has a woman he loves. And she has been far more faithful then you will ever be."

Her head jerked up. She stepped away from him and scowled.

The ship rocked again, and he heard shouts from his crew. "What have ye done?" he asked, alarmed now.

* * *

Beckett frowned at the suddenly treacherous waters. The sky was clear, and the wind was steady, so why was the water suddenly so active?

He heard several sailors muttering behind him. He considered himself a rational man, unlike most men on this ship, but even he was unnerved.

He turned. "Captain Groves, have you ever seen anything like this?"

"No, Lord Beckett," Groves said as he stopped near the rail. He leaned out and eyed the water for a moment. He looked up at the sails, then the wind gauge. "This is impossible," he murmured. "I don't know how it's happening."

Beckett frowned. "How many supernatural elements are we dealing with?" he asked.

Groves nodded. "I know, sir," he said. He sighed. "I wish James were here. He'd have an easier time keeping the men calm."

Beckett didn't say anything. James, he knew, referred to James Norrington, formerly a Commodore of the Navy, currently presumed dead. The man had been known to inspire loyalty- and bravery- in his men.

"Sail ho! Two points off the starboard bow, struggling!"

Groves snapped his head up and pulled out his spyglass. He frowned as he looked for the indicated ship. "I can't see a flag… but she is struggling with this."

He turned. "Bring her about! Mr. Simmons, port the helm! Let's see if we can't help them."

Beckett frowned. "You said you didn't see a flag. We had best be prepared."

Groves nodded absently. "Lieutenant Brown, ready the guns. This might be a pirate ship. Do not fire until I give the word." He continued to issue orders as the crew brought the ship around and headed for the other ship.

Beckett watched as the approached the other ship. At first, he could barely see a dot, but it quickly grew. He frowned. There was something very wrong about the other ship, and his certainty that it was not right grew as they got closer.

Then he realized that the ship was covered in barnacles and all manner of sea life. The sails were seaweed and the crew seemed to match the ship.

Around him, sailors cursed or prayed. He stared, stunned. "The _Flying Dutchman_…" he whispered as the other ship sank beneath the waves.

The rolling sea calmed.

* * *

The sea around them was incredibly choppy, but the _Pearl_ was not rocking in the slightest. Jack was the only one on board who walked as though they were affected. That wasn't surprising. He'd always walked like that.

Barbossa stood at the rail eyeing the water below as though it would swamp them in a moment.

He looked over at Jack, who was checking his compass.

"Where does it point, Jack?"

"North," Jack said.

"North?"

"Aye."

"That crazy compass never points north," Barbossa pointed out needlessly.

Jack smiled. "It does when the thing I want most is north. And to the north…"

They both looked north. Ten feet away, Cotton returned their looks as he adjusted the wheel slightly.

"That is not very helpful," Barbossa remarked.

Jack smiled. "I have always wanted my _Pearl_," he said fondly as he patted the railing next to him.

Barbossa glanced at him. Jack wasn't looking at him, and appeared to be lost in thought.

This had been normal for Jack, since he'd been rescued. He was slowly getting better, but Barbossa, and all the crewmen, knew to just wait it out.

Jack the Monkey jumped up onto Barbossa's shoulder and screeched loudly. Barbossa looked up. There was another ship nearby. He pulled out his spyglass to take a look.

"The _Endeavour_!" he snapped. "And another ship beyond that!"

Jack jumped, startled. "The Cove," he said.

Barbossa double checked. "No, they're not heading toward it. But the _Endeavour_ is too close for comfort."

By this time, Jack had his own spyglass up and was observing the situation. "The other ship is gone," he said, just as the water calmed.

"I don't like this," Barbossa commented.

"Do you think… she… had something to do with this?" Gibbs asked from behind them.

"I find it entirely likely that the sea goddess would do this, Mr. Gibbs," Jack said. "As a rule, I don't trust goddesses."

Barbossa rolled his eyes. "It's not affectin' us, Jack."

"Proving that she meant we'd be spared. I'd hate t' see what the Cove looks like right now."

Barbossa glanced to the east, where Shipwreck Cove was less then eight hours sail away.

"Should we check?" Gibbs asked.

Jack frowned. "By now, they know that we've taken the Pieces. They won't be very happy t' see us if we do return. If it's still there."

Barbossa sighed. "He's right," he said reluctantly.

The other two looked at him. "I can admit it when Jack's right," he drawled.

"Yes, except that you've never done so," Jack retorted.

"Go to the Cove. Tell the world what happened there. Tell what happened to those who trapped me, and would keep me trapped."

Jack and Barbossa both looked up. Gibbs stared at them in confusion.

"The Cove then?" Jack asked reluctantly.

"It wouldn't do to disobey the goddess," Barbossa responded. Not when we are in her power and she can remove her favor from us at any time."

Jack grimaced but nodded. "I suppose not. Mr. Gibbs, set course for Shipwreck Cove. It seems we are needed to witness the goddess's wrath."

"Aye Captain," Gibbs said tentatively. When neither of them moved to explain further, he headed toward Mr. Cotton, shouting at the crew to get moving.

* * *

And that's it for this week! I'll see you all next week!


	11. Chapter 11

Summary: What happened at Shipwreck Cove? And, prepare for battle!

As always, I must thank my wonderful beta, arquenniel, for the help. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

_Ch 11_

Shipwreck Island appeared completely normal, but as they approached the Devil's Throat, the entire crew was nervous and worried. They approached Devil's Throat in silence, save for the occasional orders from Jack Sparrow or Hector Barbossa. Even the parrot and the monkey were quiet.

Gibbs kept glancing at the two captains. They'd come to an odd decision, based on something Gibbs couldn't see, hear, or understand. And it was bad luck to have those two agree on anything.

Gibbs jumped as Cotton's parrot squawked. "Dead men tell no tales…"

"Aye, an' we're all in trouble if those two are agreeing," Gibbs agreed, nodding back to the captains. "'Taint natural."

"Wind in the sails!"

"And there's naught we can do about it either, Cotton. The two of them will…"

"Captain- Captains! There's a dingy, dead in the water. It's drifting right out of the Devil's Throat!"

Jack leaned forward at Marty's shout. "I recognize the colors! It's one of Jocard's."

"Aye, it 'tis," Barbossa said. "Might be useful. Bring us around, Mr. Cotton. Secure the boat to the side. Maybe we can figure out how it got through the Devil's Throat."

The crew made short work of securing the small, apparently abandoned boat to the _Pearl_, and they resumed their trip into the Cove.

Once again, silence descended on the ship, except for the orders needed to keep the ship from dashing herself to pieces on the rocks surrounding them.

Even that faded as they reached the center of the island, where Shipwreck Cove was built on a reef.

There was nothing where the Cove should be. Everyone fell silent, and no one moved as they took in the sight.

Jack recovered from the shock first, and shook himself. "Look alive you scabrous dogs!" he shouted. "Mr. Gibbs, I want the boats lowered. We're going to search for survivors."

"There's nothing there, Captain!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"There's debris. And there might be survivors in the water," Barbossa said. "Send the boats out."

Gibbs looked at Jack, who nodded. At least Gibbs knew who was in charge here. "Send them out."

The crew of the _Black Pearl_ began combing the waters, looking for survivors, bodies, and anything salvageable.

Four hours later, Jack called a halt to the activity. Calypso had been frighteningly thorough. The crew had collected enough food to last a few months, a spare sail from a European ship, and two bottles of rum. Several crewmen found flags, each one signifying that a different Pirate Lord had still been here. One boat returned with a shivering, waterlogged dog. The last boat returned carrying a broken guitar and a large book. Jack took the guitar carefully, and ran his hands down the fractured neck. Barbossa took the book. He turned it over, and traced the words on the front cover. _Pirata Codex_.

Barbossa looked up. "The Keeper of the Code is dead."

Jack nodded. He was still and silent as he simply held the guitar. He'd watched Teague play this guitar a thousand times. And now it would never be played again.

Jack looked up. "This is what she wanted us to see," he said. "The complete destruction of the ones who captured her. Never mind that all of them are dead two hundred years past."

"Her vengeance was on those who refused to free her. That is why we weren't included in it," Barbossa replied.

Jack looked up. "We're not going to find anything else," he said.

Everyone on board was silent and still for a long moment, all the mourning that the other pirates would ever receive.

Jack was the first one to move. "Bring her around!" he shouted. "All hands, I want us back through the Devil's Throat now!"

Barbossa frowned. "An' what good will that do us?"

Jack turned to him. "We won't be trapped here," he said. "Beckett will come after the Pirate Lords, of which we are the last two. We can't be caught here."

Jack headed for the wheel. "I'll take over, Mr. Cotton," he said.

Barbossa was right behind him. "Jack, Beckett can't find the Cove. No one can, unless the Court is a gatherin'."

"The Court is gone, Hector. We're all that's left. We're here. An' how do we know that th' spells haven't faded?"

Jack turned his attention to the _Pearl_, and the need to get out of here.

* * *

Groves was rather relieved when they left the area of the disturbance. It wasn't that he was a superstitious man, but he had to admit that it had been very odd.

Still, they were well away from that now, and that strange ship Beckett said was the _Dutchman_.

Groves surveyed his men. They seemed just as eager as he was to leave the area.

"Sail HO!"

Groves looked up. "Directions, Mr. Smith!" Lieutenant Reaves ordered.

"Northwest by North!" Smith called down. "Sir… the ship has black sails!"

Groves jumped and hurried to take a look. There was no way it could be… the look through the spyglass confirmed it. The ship had black sails. And it certainly looked like the _Black Pearl_. "Inform Lord Beckett," he ordered. He continued to survey the other ship. Yes, he recognized that figurehead, the woman with the outstretched hands. But everyone knew that Davy Jones had destroyed the _Pearl_ and Captain Sparrow with her.

"What is it, Captain?" Beckett asked as he climbed up to meet him.

Groves lowered the spyglass. "That ship over there, sir. It's certainly a pirate ship, but beyond that, it looks just like the _Black Pearl_."

"The _Black Pearl_ has been destroyed," Beckett said.

"I know, sir. I can't explain it. But it looks like the _Black Pearl_." Groves frowned. "I suppose that doesn't matter, it is a pirate ship."

He turned to his lieutenant. "Lieutenant, prepare the ship," he ordered. "We have a battle ahead of us."

The wind was blowing toward the _Endeavour_, and the other ship was already on course toward them. Even if the other ship tacked away, they'd still come within range of the _Endeavour_'s guns, unable to turn in time.

A battle it would be.

* * *

Bootstrap looked up at the ship they were following. The _Endeavour_ and her crew had no idea that the _Dutchman_ was underneath them.

Bootstrap had been put on the wheel when it became clear that the rough seas were going to swamp the ship. He was known for having a steady hand at the wheel, and was one of the best helmsmen on board. With the Captain somewhat indisposed thanks to the recent events, Maccus had made the decision to put Bootstrap on the wheel.

Luckily, once they were underwater, things had smoothed out, and Bootstrap wasn't fighting the wheel any longer.

For now, it was a simple matter to keep up with the _Endeavour_ as the crew prepared for another attack.

This one would be different, of course, since they'd be attacking Beckett himself, assuming the Captain wished to, of course.

Bootstrap figured that the Captain would wish to, and so did most of the crew. But the Captain hadn't left his cabin for a good while, so they were stuck just following the _Endeavour_.

"Maccus, there's another ship approaching!"

Maccus turned at Clanker's shout, as did Bootstrap and many crewmen. Another ship was approaching the _Endeavour_, one that no one would have any problems identifying, even underwater.

"The _Pearl_!" Bootstrap exclaimed. He was glad to see her. It hadn't been easy, watching that proud ship be taken to the Locker.

"So they not only rescued Sparrow, they brought back th' _Black Pearl _as well," Maccus said. "That changes things."

Bootstrap smiled, careful to make sure no one else noticed. It did change things. He was still extremely angry at Jack for trying to sacrifice Will to pay Jack's own debt. On the other hand, Jack might be able to do something to free Will from Jack's own mistakes.

Not that Bootstrap expected Jack to do so. Jack was far more concerned with his own skin.

"We better inform the Captain," Bootstrap said. "He'll want to know."

Before Maccus could enter the Captain's cabin, the door opened and the Captain walked out. He appeared to be in an extremely bad mood.

He took in the situation, and looked up. After scowling for a moment at the _Pearl_, he looked at the _Endeavour_. "Ready on the guns," he ordered. "We'll take out the _Endeavour_, but watch the _Pearl_, I don't want them escaping in the confusion."

The crew didn't have much to do to get ready. They'd been expecting this ever since they started following the _Endeavour_.

"We're ready, Captain," Maccus said.

"Then let's end this," the Captain said. "Take us up!"

* * *

I'll leave you all here for now. See you next week!


	12. Chapter 12

_Ch 12_

* * *

Jack stood still at the helm as they approached the _Endeavour_. With the wind the way it was, it was nearly impossible to avoid the _Endeavour_, at least not without risking the _Pearl_.

A fight was inevitable and they were just reaching the point where they could fire on the other ship.

"We're ready," Gibbs said.

"Good, because we're out of time," Jack said. "We'll go down with a flare, aye?"

"Aye, Captain!" Gibbs shouted. "We'll make 'm fight for every last mother's son of us!"

"Let's make this one for the stories, lads!" Barbossa shouted. "Fire at my command!"

Jack narrowed his eyes. Fine, if Barbossa wanted to lead this… "Steady men!" Jack shouted. "Don't fire until you've a clear shot! Make them all count!"

They closed on the _Endeavour_. All of them knew that there was no way they'd survive unless they had help, but they were not going to go down without a fight.

Jack adjusted the wheel slightly to give them a better angle, and then there was no time for any more adjustments.

"FIRE!" Barbossa shouted.

Jack nodded at Gibbs, who relayed the order to the cannoneers down below.

At the same time, the crewmen of the _Endeavour_ were beginning their own assault.

And then the water on the other side of the _Endeavour_ parted and a ship shot out from the depths of the ocean, spraying water all around.

Jack forced his jaw shut. This was bad. This was very bad.

If Davy Jones decided to… the thought trailed off as the _Dutchman_ opened fire on the _Endeavour_. Jack shook his head. "Get back to it! We have a chance now!" he shouted. "Mr. Cotton!"

Cotton hurried toward him.

"Take the wheel, Mr. Cotton," Jack ordered as quietly as possible.

Cotton glanced at him, but did as ordered. Jack ignored the look and turned to face the _Endeavour_. "Keep up the attack, men!" he yelled.

Barbossa spared him a glance, but no one else responded beyond an "Aye, Captain," from Gibbs.

Jack took a long look at the _Flying Dutchman_. The crew was ignoring the _Pearl_ right now, preferring to focus on the _Endeavour_. Jack closed his eyes.

He had to make his choice now.

* * *

Will smiled coldly as he heard the tell-tale signs of panic on the _Endeavour_. Beside him, reloading their cannon, Elizabeth grinned as well.

"We have him," Elizabeth said.

Will nodded gleefully.

The assault was going well, though the _Endeavour_ and her crew were putting up a fight. The crew of the _Pearl_, mostly unfamiliar men, had recovered and was also attacking the _Endeavour_.

Captain Jones smiled. "Get ready!" he ordered.

"Grapples at the ready!" Maccus yelled.

Will and Elizabeth would not be a part of the first group swinging over to harass the _Endeavour_'s crew, but if the fight lasted long enough, they would go over in the second group.

Will dearly hoped that it would. He wanted to settle his score with Beckett. It was Beckett that had ruined Will's life. Beckett had arrested him and Elizabeth, and sent them on the paths that led to becoming part of the _Dutchman_'s crew.

Will wanted to stare in Beckett's eyes when he killed him. He wanted Beckett to know who had killed him, and why.

He only hoped that Captain Jones would let him. Next to him, Elizabeth finished readying the cannon for another barrage.

"Fire!" Maccus yelled. "First group, board! All cannons, prepare for another assault!"

The first group- which included Clanker and Hadras- swung over. Will looked over, but it appeared that the crew of the _Endeavour_ was ready for them, and the fight was heating up.

Will grinned again. He'd get over there soon, he knew it.

* * *

Barbossa ordered another attack on the _Endeavour_, even as crewmen from the _Dutchman_ swung over. If they were lucky enough, they could escape while the _Dutchman_ and the _Endeavour_ were fighting, but first they had to make sure that the _Endeavour_ wouldn't attack them.

And, despite the fact that _Dutchmen_ crewmen had boarded, some of the _Endeavour_'s crewmen were still firing on the _Pearl_.

Barbossa narrowed his eyes as he watched the fight. Both crews appeared to be evenly matched for the moment.

Good, that meant that they would be focused on each other… he ducked as a cannonball just missed him. Maybe not. "Fire!" he heard Sparrow yell.

Barbossa turned, and saw that Sparrow was no longer at the wheel, and appeared to be directing the on-deck cannoneers, while Mr. Gibbs was relaying his orders to those down below.

Barbossa turned his attention back to the fight.

This was a lot less lopsided then he'd expected when they'd first sighted the _Endeavour_, but the _Dutchman_ wasn't exactly an ally, either.

"Fire!" Jack shouted again.

Barbossa could see movement on the _Dutchman_, another group of crewmen was swinging over to the _Endeavour_.

Barbossa leaned forward as he thought he saw something odd about one of the crewmen just swinging over. He shook his head, dismissing the thoughts. All of the _Dutchmen_ crewmen were odd.

Things were starting to go their way, now, and cannon fire was slacking off. "Full canvas!" Jack yelled when it appeared that Jones and his crew had won the battle.

They pulled away, and Barbossa could only hope that they'd escape Jones' notice.

* * *

Davy materialized on the _Endeavour_, watching as his crew gathered the last of the survivors together.

Almost the last of the survivors. One of them, a high-ranked civilian who had a sword still in hand was currently trying to out-duel Turner.

Turner was grinning fiendishly, and he seemed to have everything under control. In fact, Davy could tell that his crewman was playing with the other man.

Turner glanced at him briefly. Within seconds, he'd disarmed the other man. Good, Turner had realized that Davy wanted to get this over with.

Davy's eyes widened as Turner pressed his attack and began backing the other man into the nearby rail. "Give me a reason," Turner growled.

"Mr. Turner, enough!" Davy ordered.

Turner backed down slightly, but kept his sword at the other man's neck. "Aye, Captain," he said unhappily.

"Bring yer prisoner ta the line, Mr. Turner," Davy ordered.

"Aye, Captain," Turner said. He looked back at his prisoner. "Come on, Beckett," he snarled. He pushed the man- Beckett- over to the rest of the prisoners.

Davy stopped them. "This is the man who wished to control me?" he asked. At Turner's nod, he studied the man.

Beckett stood proud; though it was obvious he was afraid. "I am Lord Cutler Beckett. And this is outrageous! You have no reason to do this, Captain Jones." He refused to meet Davy's eyes, however.

Davy snorted. "Pathetic. Mr. Turner, ye may do as ye like to him. Swann may help, if she likes."

Turner's grin turned predatory, and Beckett shuddered as he looked between them. "Thank you, Captain. This will be a pleasure," Turner purred.

Davy nodded and turned to the rest of the crew and prisoners. He allowed his crewmen some joys, especially when those freedoms coincided with something he wanted done anyway.

Swann was guarding one of the prisoners, a captain. "Bootstrap, take over f'r Swann. Swann, go help Turner."

Swann's grin was a match to Turner's. Davy wondered just what they had planned for Beckett. He knew they had talked about what they would do if they ever got a chance to get their revenge on Beckett, but Davy was fairly certain that it had only been wistful fantasy, and they had never expected to get the chance to have that revenge.

He nodded and turned his attention to the rest of the _Endeavour_'s crew.

Most of them were looking past him, as Turner and Swann got their revenge. Whatever they were doing, they had silenced Beckett, so that it was quiet.

Davy paced back and forth along the lines of survivors. There were enough that his crew had arranged them in two lines, with the officers and Navy men in one line, and the sailors in another.

They appeared just as frightened as previous EITC crews had been, though some of them would actually meet his eyes.

He nodded, and began separating those who were brave enough to look at him from the others. Behind him, he heard the sound that meant Beckett was dead, and turned to watch Turner and Swann dump his body overboard.

Turner was brushing his hands off, as they walked back to help the rest of the crew keep control of the prisoners. He looked emotionless, but Davy could see the gleam of triumph in his eyes. Swann was grimly satisfied. Most of the prisoners tried to lean away from them.

Eventually, he had five men separate from the rest. He nodded at his crew, and the rest were killed.

Davy turned to the remaining five. Most of them looked like they were trying not to be sick. Only the naval captain was still willing and able to look him in the eye. Davy stopped before him, but he turned to look at Turner and Swann. "Did James survive too?" he asked.

Turner looked startled for a moment. Swann looked sad. "No, he didn't," she said. "He was… he didn't survive."

The captain sighed and nodded. He turned his attention to Davy. "And now, Captain Jones, I suppose you will kill us?"

Davy smiled. "You five were brave enough ta actually look at me, and it appears ye've enough brains to know what will happen, as well," he said. "I've always a need for good crewmen."

The other captain froze. "No," he said. "I will not."

Davy nodded. "Pity," he said. He looked at the other four. "Would any of you care to take me up on the offer?"

* * *

Well, I can think of one or two people I should probably be hiding from right about now…

Hey, tell me what you think of the story so far, please? I know people are reading, but I'd really like to know what you all are thinking about it.


	13. Chapter 13

Summary: The aftermath of the battle- Will and Elizabeth have had their revenge, the _Pearl_ gets away, and life goes on. And Jack is planning something…

As always, I must thank my wonderful beta, arquenniel, for the help. Any remaining mistakes are my own.

_Ch 13_

Elizabeth stepped back onto the _Dutchman_ with a sigh of relief. Beckett was dead: she'd had revenge on the man who'd ruined her life.

Despite the relief, Elizabeth was slightly disappointed. She'd expected to be elated, or to feel more then she actually did. She glanced at Will, beside her. He appeared to feel the same way.

Neither of them said anything as they dodged the other crewmen and headed down into the hold. As soon as they were below deck, Will headed straight for the rearmost hold, which normally only held items of value the crew had found on shipwrecks. They'd discovered that it was an excellent place to get some privacy. Not much, but enough for them to talk without being overheard.

Will closed the door and sat down against the wall. Elizabeth sank down next to him. Will placed his arm around her and drew her toward him. They spent a long time simply clinging to each other. Finally, Elizabeth broke the silence. "Beckett is dead," she said.

"Aye," Will agreed quietly. "And we got our revenge on him."

"Aye," she echoed.

"We killed him," Will said. "We killed him, and we did it joyfully. What are we becoming?" His voice broke on the last word.

Elizabeth shuddered. "We're matching the rest of the crew. We're becoming monsters."

"Inside and out," Will said as he extended his hand. His fingers were becoming claws, and Elizabeth knew that they were strong enough that he could rip someone apart with them if he wanted to.

She held out her hand to touch his. Webbing was beginning to appear between her fingers, and her nails had sharpened as well.

Will dropped his hand and tightened his grip on her. They sat there for a long time, just holding each other.

"We can't act like that again," Will finally said. "We can't let ourselves be taken away like that."

Elizabeth shuddered. "No, we can't. But how can we keep it from happening? Will, I didn't feel like myself…"

"I think… being part of the crew is much more then we thought. We become so close to the ship that we become part of her." Will stopped for a moment and thought. "This ship is defined by the Captain. And our Captain has a vengeful streak. At least, I think so."

Elizabeth sighed. "That makes sense. He's mad at someone. Someone did him wrong."

"And I think that attitude can transfer to the crewmen. We've become more ruthless since joining the crew."

Elizabeth nodded. "We need to fight it."

"Can we?" Will asked. "We didn't even realize something was different until today."

Elizabeth sighed. "I don't know," she said. "I'm not even sure if I want to fight it."

They sat there in silence for a long time again, until the door opened. They looked up, but didn't move away from each other. It was no secret that they loved each other. Most of the crew didn't care. They just never showed it where the Captain might see.

Bootstrap looked in. "I thought I might find you here," he said.

Will closed his eyes. "Is the Captain looking for us?" he asked.

"No, not yet," Bootstrap said as he closed the door behind him. "I don't think anyone else has noticed you're gone."

Will sighed. Elizabeth nodded.

Bootstrap sat down next to Will and looked up at the ceiling. "You can't fight it," he said. "You might try, and you might succeed for a while… but the _Dutchman_ changes you. She'll win eventually. She always does."

"What are you…?"

"I saw your faces when you were finished with Beckett," Bootstrap interrupted Elizabeth. "Both of you. You couldn't quite believe what you'd done. I'm just saying that the _Dutchman_ will win out. She has for everyone else."

"You've not given in yet," Will objected.

Bootstrap laughed, but there was something bitter to the sound. "Will, I lost out long ago. Don't fool yourself in thinking I'm still a good man, if I ever was. And I've seen the changes in you, as well."

Elizabeth sighed and sat up slightly. "We're crew," she said. "We can't change that."

"Aye," Will agreed.

Bootstrap closed his eyes. "I don't want this t' happen t' you, Will," he said. "But I don't think ye can avoid it."

Will nodded once. "I'm certainly going to try," he said firmly. "And there are ways to retain who and what I am."

Elizabeth and Bootstrap both looked at him. Will grinned. He glanced around the area. "I'll explain later, but I have an idea. A way to remind ourselves who we are and were. And even if it doesn't work, it'll be a good thing. But we should probably get back on deck before someone notices that we're missing."

"Will…" Elizabeth trailed off, frustrated.

Will smiled. "I promise, I will tell you," he said as he stood up. "I'll need to tell you. I need your agreement for it to even have a chance of working."

Bootstrap and Elizabeth exchanged glances. Mood swings like that weren't normal for Will.

* * *

Jack had spent the last twelve hours alternately pacing, adjusting the course, or staring behind them.

Barbossa had spent most of those twelve hours watching him. Jack was worried. And Barbossa didn't blame him. They knew the _Dutchman_'s crew had seen them- how could they miss the _Pearl_?

Jack was the one who owed Jones a debt- though Barbossa wondered if perhaps that debt had been paid by Jack's stay in the Locker. Jack was the one who'd pay if Jones decided that it hadn't.

Jack didn't relax until they had docked at Tortuga. Then, he sent the crew on leave, but remained aboard the _Pearl_.

Hector watched him as he walked over every square inch of the dark ship's decks, then he disappeared into the captain's cabin.

Jack came out again after nearly twenty minutes. Jack glanced at Hector, and then he went below deck, taking a lantern with him.

Jack was down there nearly two hours. The sun was setting as he climbed out of the holds. He was carrying a bottle of rum- Barbossa wasn't surprised about that- and singing softly to himself. "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me…" Jack sang. He carried, in addition to the rum, the broken guitar they'd picked up at Shipwreck Cove.

Jack waved the hand that held the bottle at Barbossa, and then disappeared into the captain's cabin again.

Barbossa frowned as he stared at the closed door to the captain's cabin. Sparrow was acting odd- odder then was normal for Jack Sparrow, that is. He almost seemed to be grieving for someone or something.

Barbossa looked around, made sure that the man on watch was alert enough to catch any problems, and headed into town. He'd worry about Jack Sparrow's odd behavior later.

* * *

Davy frowned down at the keys of his organ. It wasn't that the instrument sounded wrong, it was just that he couldn't seem to concentrate on the music today. He'd already made several mistakes. He sighed and started a new song.

He hadn't really believed that Sparrow was back, not until he'd seen the man standing on the _Pearl_.

And because he'd had to deal with Beckett, Davy had been forced to let Sparrow get away for now.

Now, he couldn't find the man. His way of tracking those who owed him wasn't working.

Yet Sparrow still owed him. He'd only been in the Locker for a little over a year. Not the hundred years of service that they'd agreed on fourteen years ago, nor the eternity of suffering he'd earned by trying to find the heart.

Davy stumbled over the keys again, and with a snarl, he turned away from the instrument.

He was not going to be able to concentrate on the music right now. He had to figure out what to do about Sparrow.

He could not just let the other captain go. Davy snorted. No. His crew would wonder if he was going soft, and the rest of the world wouldn't fear him if he let Sparrow go.

He had to chase after Sparrow. Damnation! He didn't need this now. Why hadn't Sparrow stayed in the Locker, where he belonged?

For now, the _Dutchman_ was following the last heading they had from the _Pearl_. If they didn't come across the _Pearl_ within the next day, Davy was planning on taking a side trip to see if the _Pearl_ had made port at Tortuga.

It was entirely possible that the _Pearl_ had already arrived there. She was very fast, as Davy had cause to know, even faster then the _Dutchman_ when she had the wind on her side.

But the path they were on took them close to Tortuga, and it made sense for the_ Pearl_ to stop at the pirate port. Sparrow might already have been and gone, but he and his crew might still be there.

Davy smiled wickedly. It would be a wonderful chase, but in the end, he'd have Sparrow once again. And this time, Sparrow would never leave Davy's clutches. He'd find some way to trap that bird in a cage he'd never escape from.

* * *

Barbossa could tell something was wrong the moment he saw the _Pearl_. He'd spent the night in Tortuga, and was returning to make sure Jack hadn't done something stupid.

He had. What, Barbossa wasn't sure, but something was off.

As soon as he saw that the dingy was gone, he cursed and searched the ship. Jack was nowhere to be found.

That… that didn't make any sense. Jack would never leave the _Pearl_… unless it was to save his own hide.

Barbossa snarled. Gibbs had told him what Jack had tried to do. How he'd tried to sell Will Turner's soul to save his own.

Barbossa sighed. At least that left him as captain of the _Black Pearl_.

He watched, glowering, as the crew straggled back on board.

"Where be Jack?" Gibbs asked suspiciously as he boarded. Barbossa frowned. Gibbs was loyal to Jack, as loyal as one pirate could be to another.

"Sparrow has apparently decided to take his leave, Mr. Gibbs," Barbossa drawled. "The dingy we picked up in Shipwreck Cove is gone, and he is nowhere to be seen."

Gibbs eyed him suspiciously. "And you had nothing t' do with it?" he asked.

"No," Barbossa replied. "I assure ye, I did nothing to get rid of him, nothing to make him leave."

Gibbs clearly didn't believe him, but he let it go for now. Barbossa frowned in thought. Perhaps he should leave Gibbs here when they left.

"Listen up you dogs!" Barbossa shouted once it was clear that most, if not all, of the crew was aboard. "Captain Sparrow has seen fit to leave us. That means I'm captain. We'll be staying here f'r another two days, and hope th' no one chases after us."

* * *

Yes, the _Pearl_ got away! And Jack has, for some reason, left her. Don't worry, it'll all be explained- in time.


	14. Chapter 14

Summary: Why did Jack leave the Pearl, anyway?

As always, arquenniel is a marvel. Especially this time, because I made a number of stupid mistakes that she caught. Any remaining mistakes are still my fault.

_Ch 14_

Jack took one last look around. "I'll miss you, _Pearl_," he said. "An' I will come back t' you. But I need t' keep us both alive."

The ship creaked and Jack smiled. "Aye, _Pearl_, an' you stay safe so I c'n come back t' you."

Jack lowered the dingy and climbed down. He patted the side of the ship one last time. "You know I don't want t' do this, right _Pearl_?"

A small wave broke against the side of the ship. Jack smiled sadly and pushed away. His lovely _Pearl_ was telling him to get on with it. He didn't want to, though. He wanted to stay with her. But to keep them both alive, he needed to leave. "I'll come back," he repeated in a whisper as he drifted away.

Dawn found the _Pearl_ out of sight and Tortuga just an unidentifiable island in the distance. Jack settled down on the bench and pulled out the map.

He had a score to settle with Jones. But to do so, he needed to stand on equal ground with the _Dutchman_'s Captain.

He needed to be immortal.

Jack looked down at the map and rotated the middle wheel to find the banner he had seen before. "_Aqua de Vita_," he purred. "Water of life."

The snap of the sail was his only response. He pulled out his compass. He knew what he wanted, where he wanted to go.

Jack smiled. He'd find the Waters, make himself immortal, find a way to get the Waters onto his _Pearl_, to make her immortal and indestructible, whichever was the right word for his ship, and then face Jones.

Jones couldn't send him back to the Locker if he couldn't kill him.

Jack's smile turned into a smirk. And, since Jack knew how to kill Jones, Jack Sparrow had that advantage.

Jack looked up. Will Turner was on Jones' crew, and so was Bill Turner. And, though Jack didn't want to admit it, he owed them both. If Jack could kill Jones, he'd be able to set Will and Bill free.

Jack smiled fiercely. The Turners wouldn't forgive him, he was sure. But he'd need to live with himself if he wanted to live forever. He'd learned that much from Captain Teague.

And perhaps, just perhaps, he could find a way to make it up to Will. Jack's own foolishness got Will enslaved and Elizabeth killed. If Jack hadn't done anything, they'd be married now, probably with a little whelp along the way.

Jack owed it to Will, to find a way to help him.

Jack sighed. He didn't like feeling like this, didn't like the idea that he'd caused someone else's misfortune, and that he should do something about it.

But Will had saved his life, more than once. And in return, Jack had tried to use the lad to pay off his own debt. Jack shrugged. He didn't understand why he was feeling so guilty about that. He'd never felt guilty about leaving others behind before. He normally thought it was their own bad luck that left them in whatever situation they found themselves in.

Jack looked down at his compass. The needle was not pointing where he needed to go. In fact it was pointing… oh. The rum. Jack picked up a bottle and opened it.

The needle swung around again, and was now pointing to the northwest.

Well, he knew the Waters were somewhere in Florida, so he had the heading he needed.

It was time to find the Waters. Then he could get his revenge and pay off the debt he owed Will at the same time. When that was done, he'd tell Will and Bill how to find the Waters. His debt to them would be paid in full.

* * *

Davy surveyed the _Black Pearl_ from a distance. The other ship was docked at Tortuga, and he couldn't come any closer to the port.

There'd been no sign of Sparrow, not for the day they'd been watching the _Pearl_, but that didn't mean much. It could be that Sparrow was simply not on the ship, or that they were too far away to see clearly, or that Sparrow knew they were there and was hiding, or… there were a hundred possibilities. They just needed to wait until the _Pearl_ left Tortuga.

That wouldn't take long, since he knew the crew of the _Pearl_ would want to head out to sea as soon as possible. Sparrow could only delay things for so long.

Davy looked over at the wheel. Bootstrap was taking his turn at the wheel right now, though there wasn't much to do since they were currently just drifting with the waves. "Bootstrap, how long do ye think Sparrow will stay in Tortuga?" Davy asked.

Bootstrap shrugged. "I've never been able to predict how long Jack will stay anywhere, Captain. But he's probably only going t' stay for a day or so more, if that. Jack likes the open ocean."

"Aye, he's a man o' the sea," Davy agreed. That was one of the few things about Sparrow that he could relate to. "Very well. We have nowhere we need ta be. We'll wait three more days. If they don't leave by then, then I'll send Maccus over there ta find out how long they intend ta stay."

"Aye, Captain," Bootstrap said.

"And Bootstrap- if this Barbossa is there, I don't want ye ta kill him. A man raised from the dead might be useful ta me."

Bootstrap looked disappointed. "Aye, Captain," he repeated unhappily.

Davy smiled. There were times when he couldn't (and didn't want to) grant his crew the freedoms they wanted, even limited ones such as allowing Bootstrap revenge on the man who'd tossed him overboard. But a man who'd been dead and then was brought back could be useful. Men like that could become servants of gods, or powerful demigods in their own right.

Barbossa needed careful handling. He didn't want to have to deal with a demigod right now.

Davy suspected that Calypso had brought Barbossa back. Why else would the other captain want to free her?

And Davy didn't want to overtly go against Calypso, not more then he already was.

The goddess was the source of his powers, the reason he was a demigod and not merely a dead man, and while she couldn't take them away, she could make his life difficult. She's shown that clearly when she'd visited the ship.

So for now, he'd treat Barbossa with wary respect. But if it turned out that Calypso was planning on using Barbossa as Davy's successor, Barbossa would be dead again in an instant.

He might even let Bootstrap kill Barbossa.

* * *

Bootstrap tried very hard not to fume as he stood at the wheel. He wanted to smash something. He was going to see the man who had condemned him to the depths, leaving him with no choice but to join the crew of the _Dutchman_ if he wanted to escape. And he could do nothing to him.

Bootstrap blew out a large breath and glanced at the Captain. The Captain wasn't looking at him. Bill braced himself against the wheel but didn't do anything.

So. He couldn't do anything to Barbossa. Except scare him. "Captain?"

The Captain turned to him. "Aye, Bootstrap?"

"Would it be a problem if I made Barbossa think I was going to kill him?"

The Captain chuckled. "Ye do have a vengeful streak. I see where Turner gets it," he said. "Aye, but don't actually harm him."

Bootstrap smiled grimly. "Thank you, Captain."

The Captain looked up. "If there is ever a time when I need him dead, ye can do the deed. But f'r now, I need him alive."

Bootstrap grimaced. "He'll never do anything for you, Captain. Barbossa cares only for his own profit."

Captain Jones grinned. "He won't even know he's doing something f'r me. An' if I need him ta know, then he'll also know that his life depends on it."

Bootstrap didn't say anything, but he did allow a smirk. Barbossa would get his due eventually, then. There was no way Barbossa would be willing to help the Captain. And the Captain would get fed up with Barbossa, and allow Bootstrap to get his revenge.

The Captain smiled. "And when the _Pearl_ does leave Tortuga, we'll deal with Sparrow."

* * *

Barbossa looked up at the crew in the _Black Pearl_'s rigging. They were leaving three days after arriving in Tortuga. He had reluctantly decided that Gibbs should stay on, since he was one of the best quartermasters Barbossa had ever seen.

Since word had reached Tortuga of the _Endeavour_'s destruction and Beckett's death, Barbossa figured it was safe to do a bit of pirating.

The _Flying Dutchman_ had not been seen in the area, either, though that didn't mean anything.

Barbossa wasn't worried. He wasn't the one who owed Jones, and Jones had no reason to chase him.

Tortuga was almost out of sight when Barbossa headed down to the captain's cabin to check the charts. That was when he discovered that Jack had taken more then just the dingy with him when he left. "Sparrow," he muttered, making the word more like a curse then a name.

He was glad that he'd told no one about what he'd seen on the charts, and what he was planning on going after. At least he didn't have to worry about a mutiny now.

Barbossa rolled his eyes and pulled out the other, ordinary charts. Perhaps it was time to head north. There were rumors that there was a lot of plunder to be had from the shippers to and from the northern colonies.

The lookout started shouting, and then Barbossa heard the crew beginning to panic. "Now what?"

He hurried on deck, only to see the_ Dutchman_ off to starboard, her gun ports open and crew shouting at the _Pearl_. Barbossa cursed. His crew was useless, most of them panicked or frozen in shock.

Barbossa scowled and ordered that the white flag be run up.

Within moments of the first flutter of white, a good amount of _Dutchman_ crew surrounded his crew and someone who could only be Davy Jones stepped out of the wood at the mast and stopped right in front of Barbossa.

Right behind Jones was a familiar figure. Bootstrap Bill Turner, obviously a member of the _Dutchman_'s crew, glared at Barbossa. He had his hand on his sword and Barbossa didn't doubt that he'd attack in an instant.

For the first time since Jack had disappeared, Barbossa worried about facing the _Dutchman_ and her crew.

"Where is Sparrow?" Jones asked.

Barbossa took a deep breath, trying not to wince at the menace in Jones' tone. "He's gone," Barbossa said. "He left nearly three days ago."

"Jack Sparrow would never willingly leave the _Black Pearl_," Jones said suspiciously.

"Unless it was to save his own skin," one of Jones' crewmen spat derisively. Barbossa thought the voice was familiar, but he didn't turn around to look at him.

Jones nodded. "Or ye simply killed him," he accused Barbossa. Strangely, he didn't appear that upset about the idea.

"I assure ye, if I had killed Jack, ye would know an' I would not hide it."

Jones studied him for a moment. Finally, he snorted and turned around. "Ye have two minutes, Bootstrap," he said.

Bootstrap smiled. "Thank you, Captain."

That was the only warning Barbossa got. Fortunately, since he'd been keeping an eye on Bootstrap, he managed to duck as the other man took a swing at him.

It was the longest two minutes of Barbossa's life. Bootstrap seemed determined to kill him, and it was only Barbossa's quick actions that kept Bootstrap from succeeding.

Jones watched, amused, and several members of Jones' crew cheered Bootstrap on. A couple seemed to be placing bets.

Finally, Jones cleared his throat. "I'm sure ye'd like more time, Bootstrap, but we need ta chase down Sparrow," he said.

"Aye Captain," Bootstrap said reluctantly. He turned back to Barbossa. "You're lucky, Hector," he spat.

Barbossa only relaxed once all of the _Dutchman_'s crew had left and the ghost ship dove.

He looked around at his crew, most of whom were standing around staring at the spot the _Dutchman_ had been. "Get back t' work, ye slack-jawed whoresons!" he snarled. He stormed back into his cabin once the white flag was down and the crew was actually working again.

* * *

As soon as they were back on the _Dutchman_, they dove. Bootstrap grumbled as they slid beneath the waves and left the _Pearl_ behind. He wanted so much to just kill Barbossa. Only the Captain's refusal had kept him from slashing the callous bilge rat to pieces.

The Captain glanced at him, but since Bootstrap hadn't actually done anything that he wasn't allowed to do, he didn't say anything.

Bootstrap looked away, down at Will, who had returned to the chores he'd been assigned before they had attacked the _Pearl_. Will , who appeared to be cheerful enough, studied a locked chest. Bootstrap sighed. He'd get his revenge on Barbossa eventually, even if only by outliving the other man. For now… Bootstrap headed down to help his son with the chest. There was no point in worrying about that future.

Besides which, Barbossa was an ordinary man now. Bootstrap could be patient.

* * *

Next chapter will be shorter then normal. I'm moving into the second part of this story, and it's a transition chapter. Anyway, see you all next week!


	15. Chapter 15

Summary: An interlude chapter, in which Will's plan is revealed and acted upon.

As always, arquenniel is a marvelous beta. Also as always, any remaining mistakes are still my fault.

_Ch 15_

Another year, another shore leave. Maccus eyed Swann, Turner and Bootstrap. All three of them appeared quite excited about leave; and even moreso when it turned out the Captain was able to produce the illusion of humanity.

What were they up to? Maccus tried to keep an eye on them, but the three of them managed to vanish into the crowds shortly after stepping onto land.

Maccus finally sighed. They'd turn up eventually. The first mate followed Hadras to the nearest pub.

And Bootstrap did eventually show up, but Maccus didn't see Swann or Turner until it was nearly time to return to the _Dutchman_. They both looked tired but extremely cheerful as they ran up to meet with the rest of the crew.

Bootstrap gave them a strange look, which had his son smirking and Swann blushing. Maccus decided that he really didn't want to know.

* * *

Will had eventually found a time to explain his plan.

Elizabeth had agreed immediately, and Bootstrap had eventually agreed. The older man had been skeptical at first, and then worried that it would get them into trouble, but Will and Elizabeth had talked him around. Elizabeth had just been upset that they had to wait until the next shore leave.

By now, Bootstrap was almost- almost- as excited as Will and Elizabeth were.

Will had noticed Maccus watching them, so they were careful to slip away silently.

Once away from the rest of the crew, Will took the lead as they searched the streets of the small port town.

Finally, they came to the building they were looking for. Bootstrap looked up. "Hope he's willing ta help us."

"I think he will," Will said. It was a small Catholic church, but it was a church.

As they entered the small church, a bell on the door rang. A few seconds later, the priest entered the church proper. "Gentlemen," he said. He glanced at Elizabeth, did a double take and nodded. "Miss…"

Elizabeth lifted her chin. "We've come to ask you something, Father," she said.

"And what can I do for sailors such as you?" the man asked. He'd seemingly recovered from seeing a woman in breeches.

"My fiancée and I would like to be wed," Will said. "Would you be willing to perform the ceremony?"

The priest blinked. "To be wed?" he repeated.

"Aye, we wish to marry," Elizabeth said.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "The women who chose to live among sailors do not normally wish to marry," he said.

"You assume I chose this life," Elizabeth said. "But I can see that you aren't willing to help us."

"No, wait!" the priest said. "I'll help. I'll perform the ceremony for you," he said. "If this is what you desire."

Elizabeth smiled. "Yes."

Will grinned. "Yes."

The priest looked at Bill. "I'm here as a witness, for my son," Bill said, placing his hand on Will's shoulder.

The priest nodded. "Then, gentlemen and lady, if you would come forward. And please, I need to know your names."

The ceremony was short, but it was a ceremony. And at the end, when Will and Elizabeth kissed, Bill grinned, and the priest blessed them, Will was happy. Happier then he could remember feeling in a long time.

They were married. And they had ninety-eight years to be together, and perhaps more if they lived on after they were done serving on the _Dutchman_.

They broke the kiss reluctantly. "Thank you, Father," Will said.

"You are welcome, my children," the priest responded. "And good luck to you, Mr. and Mrs. Turner."

Will and Elizabeth grinned.

Bill smiled. The older Turner led the way out of the church. All three of them stopped at the offering box, and a good portion of the money they carried with them went in.

Bill glanced at them. "If ye want, I saw an inn back that way. I'm going to rejoin the rest of the crew." He smiled at them. "An' be careful."

Will closed his eyes. "We will be, Father," he said. "We'll see you tomorrow morning when we meet with the rest of the crew."

"Aye, Will. An' Elizabeth… welcome t' the family."

She grinned at him. They watched him leave for a moment before turning to go. Will looked down at his wife. "Shall we find that inn?" he asked.

Elizabeth grinned. "Yes, of course. And we will not wait a moment longer once we get into the room."

Will sighed. "Elizabeth… we can't risk too much. If you become pregnant…"

"I can't," Elizabeth said. She looked over at him. "Will, I haven't had my courses since I joined the crew. I don't think I can have children anymore."

Will nodded slowly. "I see," he said. He looked up. "Let's not worry about that," he said. "It doesn't matter now."

"No, it doesn't," she agreed. "What matters is that now, we can be together, we're married."

"We are," Will agreed. "We finally…" he trailed off. "We need to write your father sometime, let him know that we're married, and as safe and happy as we can be."

"I don't want him to know that we're part of the crew," Elizabeth said.

"No, I agree. Just let him know that we're safe, we're not in danger, and that we can't tell him where we are in writing, since we're wanted. And that we don't know how often we can write to him." They reached the inn, and trying to suppress smiles, they entered.

They were almost late to the meeting place the next morning. Will knew that his father would not let him forget it. The look Bootstrap gave him made him smirk, however. This was one night that he never wanted to forget. And no matter what the _Dutchman_ did to him, he wouldn't forget that he was married to Elizabeth Swann Turner.

* * *

Deep in the Florida swamp, Jack Sparrow glanced down at his compass and stopped before a small spring. Unlike the murky ground and water around it, it was clear and seemed to bubble gently.

Jack grinned.

Carefully he dipped the small bottle he carried into the water and let the water fill it.

Jack looked down at the bottle and took a deep breath. "Here's to immortality." And he took a long drink.

* * *

Ok- starting next week I will begin the second part of this story.

The reason this chapter is so short is because originally, this was the epilogue, to be followed by another story a couple of weeks later.

However, as I was plotting out the second story, I realized it fit better as part of Destiny's Fight. So I did a bit of re-writing (not much, just enough to make it flow better) and made this chapter the interlude/transition.

So, see you all next week with chapter 16 of Destiny's Fight!


	16. Chapter 16

Summary: So… what about the heart? And how is married life on the Dutchman? And plans begin to evolve.

arquenniel is still a marvelous beta. Any remaining mistakes are still my fault.

_

* * *

_

Ch 16

Will watched as the small shore crew returned to the ship. Captain Jones had finally relaxed enough to return the Chest to land. However, he did choose an island that had never been inhabited, and one that spent half the day underwater, so that it would be easy enough for the Captain to retrieve his heart if something were to happen.

Of course, the crew returning was not the only one the Captain had sent out. Will had just returned with another group, charged with hiding a decoy chest. The Captain had sent out four of those over the last two days. Will thought it was a good idea. Anyone watching them wouldn't know which Chest was the real one. And the Captain was certain that Calypso was watching them.

The shore crew scattered to their duties and the _Flying Dutchman_ sailed away from the nameless island. Will's gaze lingered on one member of the shore crew. Elizabeth Swann Turner, his wife, though only one other crewman knew that they were married.

They'd only been married for a few weeks, and Will wanted to shout to the world, but he knew that was a foolish idea. So, he was Turner to the crew, and she was Swann. Everyone knew they had been engaged before they'd become crew, but everyone also knew there was nothing they could do about that now.

Will sighed and returned to work. They couldn't tell anyone, except for Will's father, who had witnessed the wedding, but that didn't matter. They were married, finally.

He smiled slightly even as he returned his attention to the cannon he was scraping down. Elizabeth passed by, on her way below deck to whatever chores she had to do. She gave him a smile and he returned it.

Since Captain Jones was on deck, they couldn't do any beyond smile at each other. The Captain was only vaguely tolerant of that, let alone anything else affectionate. He normally turned a blind eye to it if they didn't do it when he was around, except when he was in a bad mood.

Will had put together a lot of clues and decided that the Captain had been betrayed by a woman he loved. He suspected that woman was the sea goddess Calypso. Will hadn't figured out how that betrayal had led Captain Jones to actually become the Captain of the _Flying Dutchman_, nor how he had ended up more sea creature then man, but it wasn't exactly Will's business to know.

Will shook his head as he continued to work. He'd been thinking about this ever since he'd joined the crew, and by now he was simply going over old information. He wouldn't figure anything else out unless he learned something new.

Will glanced up. Captain Jones stood at the wheel right now, a sure sign that he was in a good mood, since the waters were calm, and there was no urgency. The Captain only took turns on the wheel in calm weather when he was feeling cheerful about something.

Will looked away before the Captain realized Will was watching him.

"Get back t' work!" Jimmylegs snarled at Will, who jumped and grimaced. He'd been thinking too much. Time to work. He'd probably return to those thoughts later, though.

* * *

"We pillage an' plunder an' ladi lada… drink up me 'earties yo ho!" Jack walked out of the Florida swamp, singing happily. He was immortal now, and now he could take on Jones.

Jack had carefully memorized the way to the Waters of Life, and he'd sketch a map later. Carefully. He wasn't going to risk just anyone finding the Waters, but he did want a couple of people to find it.

People he would hopefully be able to lead to the Waters, if things worked the way he planned. Still, it was better to be prepared if something went wrong.

Jack continued to sing as he checked his dingy and prepared to head away. He had plenty of supplies still, and he knew what he wanted, so he had a heading.

He looked down at his compass which was steady as it pointed south.

Jack smiled. It was time to show what the immortal Captain Jack Sparrow was capable of. It was time to make sure he'd never have to deal with Davy Jones again. He'd free Will and Bill, but more importantly, make sure that Jones was dead.

* * *

Port Royal was a changed town. Governor Weatherby Swann looked out at his very changed home. The town was slowly recovering from the executions Lord Cutler Beckett had ordered and carried out. The port was also becoming a pirate town as the lower sorts drifted in and the Royal Navy left.

Governor Swann couldn't bring himself to care. The outlaws didn't try to kill anyone who'd ever associated with Navy types, or even just talked to a Marine, so they were a step up from Beckett.

And one of them had brought him the most important letter he'd ever received. He carried it with him at all times. He pulled it out now, though he'd all but memorized it in the two days since he'd gotten it.

_Father_

_I know it's been nearly two years since we've seen each other, but I was unable to write before now. I am safe, I did survive. I know you've heard the rumors of the "last trip" of the _Black Pearl_ (which is not the last trip, since I saw the _Pearl_ again a few months ago.) But I did survive, and there were a few other survivors as well. Will is one of them, and he's with me now as I write this._

_Will is fine as well, and we're both relatively safe. We were just wed, and the only regret I have is that you weren't there to watch and give me away._

_I know it wasn't the way you would have wanted my wedding to go, a simple, private ceremony with only the priest and Will's father as witnesses, but Beckett ruined our chances for anything else._

_At this time, I have nothing to report on the grandchild front, but Will's father is already asking and I suppose you would as well if you were here. (I suspect that Bill is simply teasing us. He knows that it's not safe to have a child.)_

_If I do have a child, you will know about it, if I have to send a letter to you by windstorm!_

_I'm imagining your face right now, Father, and I can't help but laugh. I miss you, Father, but I don't know that we'll ever see each other again._

_It might just be too dangerous. I'll try to send letters whenever I can, but I'll need to make sure I can't be tracked._

_I love you, Father._

_Love,_

_Elizabeth Swann Turner_

_PS: Will wanted to tell you something._

The handwriting changed.

_Sir,_

_I'm sorry that you weren't there for the wedding, but I am glad that you seem to have survived Beckett's tyranny with no injuries, at least from what we've learned. _

_Thank you sir, for allowing me to court Elizabeth two years ago. I'll never forget the generosity you showed me then, and when I was a child._

_I promise I'll protect Elizabeth as much as possible, and as much as she'll let me._

_Thank you once again,_

_William Turner_

Weatherby sighed and looked down. He was certain that the two of them had turned pirate, and that they would not return to Port Royal, not until they knew it was safe.

That was another reason he didn't try to stop the pirates, bandits, and other assorted riff-raft from taking over the town. If Port Royal became a pirate port, then perhaps they would feel safe enough to return.

Weatherby could only hope.

* * *

Captain Barbossa smiled as his crew finished loading the last of the loot from the small brig they'd taken. The brig's crew was watching glumly as the _Black Pearl_'s crew took everything except the opened barrels of water and the hardtack. Cotton and Marty kept them under guard as the rest of the crew transferred the loot or repaired the _Pearl_.

Finally, the last of the loot was on the _Pearl_, and Cotton and Marty were the last two to return.

They cut the brig loose, and Barbossa smirked at the other ship's captain. "Better luck next time," Barbossa offered as a parting shot.

The _Pearl_ quickly outpaced the crippled brig, and before long the other ship was just a dot in the distance.

Barbossa grinned, satisfied. Another successful raid. It was nice to just be a pirate for a while, neither a cursed man, nor a servant to a goddess, trying to free her.

He watched idly as Gibbs made a list of what they'd taken. Most of it was nice stuff, stuff they'd easily be able to sell for a profit. The rest was useful- lines, a good deal of food, and fresh water.

They'd left the crew of their target with little to survive on, but what did that matter? Their target was mismanaged and would have likely been taken down in the next storm, what with their incompetent captain.

Barbossa grinned. They were only a day out from Singapore. They'd been heading there to sell their loot, and perhaps see if the remnants of Sao Feng's organization wanted to join them.

Barbossa suspected they might.

* * *

Calypso watched as the crew of the _Dutchman_ searched a wrecked ship and collected the survivors. None of them knew she was there, not even Davy Jones. She allowed herself to float on the winds buffeting the ship.

She watched as the survivors were lined up and Davy offered them a choice between death and service. She didn't move as he accepted two of them into service and had the other eight killed.

She closed her eyes as she felt, for a brief second, the eight souls as they tried to find their way. Then, as had happened since the duty of the ferryman was first created, the calls for help faded from her ears.

This wasn't how he was supposed to use his powers. And his crew suffered for his decisions.

She drifted down next to Davy, though she made sure that he didn't know she was there. He was smirking as he watched his two new crewmen.

She placed her hand on his claw and leaned up to kiss him. He didn't notice. She stepped back and faded into the comforting waters of the ocean.

The man she loved, the man she had saved from death by granting him the power of the ferryman, was lost to her.

The Duty wasn't being done.

She had spent too long as a human; she began to cry.

Even surrounded by her oceans as she was, she wasn't comforted. She knew what she had to do. She turned and began to approach the one who could help her accomplish her new mission.

She'd insure that he had a swift and easy journey, once he was on the ocean, and that his boat, though it did not appear to be all that seaworthy, would not sink.

And then, once he'd done what she needed him to do, once he'd collected what she needed, she'd take him to the_ Dutchman_, where the man she'd chosen would become Captain.

* * *

I do hope you all are enjoying this story, and the universe that comes from just one little change…

Oh, just to warn you all- part two of this story is shorter then part one. I have four more chapters to post, and the epilogue. But I'll see you all next week, don't worry. We're not done yet.

Oh- sorry for the delay getting this posted. I had a busy day. But it's still Wednesday here, so I'm not late!

And bonus question- Where was the heart hidden? Hint: the island is known to you, if you watched DMC's special DVD features.


	17. Chapter 17

Summary: Jack goes after leverage, Calypso makes her own plans. Cliffhanger warning!

arquenniel is still a marvelous beta. Any remaining mistakes are, as always, my fault.

_Ch 17_

Jack began bailing out the dingy again. The bloody thing had sprung a slight leak as he approached the Caribbean, so Jack had decided a brief detour was in order.

Tortuga was just on the horizon, as Jack put the bucket down again. The dingy would last until he made it to Tortuga.

Then he'd have to find another boat to take him to whatever island Jones now hid his heart.

Jack smiled as he beached the little dingy just to the left of the docks.

The good little boat was on its last legs, but she had gotten him as far as he needed. "Thank you," Jack said.

He ambled off. There were always small boats around that he could take. But this time, he wanted one that had a large storage locker. It wouldn't do to leave the treasure he was going after out in the open, now, would it?

So, he needed a decently sized boat, one that would stand up to sailing the ocean, but could still be handled by one man.

And he needed one that was lightly guarded, or not guarded at all. He didn't want to advertise that he was in the market for a boat, either.

Jack sighed as he walked around the docks. There were a few boats that would fit his needs, though most of them were guarded fairly well. He'd have a hard time taking most of the boats that fit his needs.

He headed into town, thinking. There was one boat that he thought would do. It was small enough that he could easily handle it, but it looked sturdy enough to handle an ocean journey. It was also unwatched, and Jack was certain that tonight would be a perfect time to take it. He'd also watched as the owner stocked the boat, and he knew he would have enough provisions to last a while.

Jack nodded decisively. He'd stop in a tavern to get a hot meal, and then head back to the docks. As he made his decision, he became aware of two women approaching him. They were smiling at him, which only made him nervous.

Scarlet and Giselle were only this happy to see him when they thought he had money to spend on them.

"Hello Jack," Scarlet purred.

Jack swallowed.

* * *

Calypso watched as her new servant left the pirate town. Although Jack had made himself her servant when he'd freed her, she suspected that he wouldn't take it well if he were to find out.

Jack was currently looking through the two under the bench storage areas on his boat.

Apparently, he was pleased with what he found, for he sat down and pulled out his compass.

Jack checked the compass and corrected his course slightly.

Calypso kept a part of her to watch over him as he sailed on, to where the Dead Man's Chest was buried. The rest of her would try to convince Davy that he had to return to his Duty. As long as Jack was on the sea, she could do both.

And she knew that she only had a short time to do both. If she couldn't convince Davy to do his Duty, the path Jack was taking would mean that she would lose Davy.

She didn't want to lose him. The thought made her want to cry again. But she couldn't let her own feelings get in the way of what needed to be done. The souls of those who die at sea must be ferried to the afterlife. And even though she loved him, she knew that Davy was not doing so. And if he didn't, she'd lose him.

* * *

Davy looked up and frowned. Calypso was up to something, he was sure. She'd visited several times over the past months. Half of the time, she asked him to take up the duties of ferrying the dead, and the other half of the time she did her best to persuade him, using whatever means she could. In the last week, however, she had appeared to him every day.

He had not agreed to do his Duty again, and he wouldn't. She'd made it clear centuries ago, that he couldn't expect her to keep her word.

He did enjoy her efforts to persuade him otherwise, though.

Davy shook his head. He didn't need to get lost in reminisces of Calypso's visits; he needed to figure out what she was up to.

Unfortunately, he wasn't sure that he could figure out what she was up to. She was as wild and untamable as the stories made her, worse than he remembered. She told no one what she planned, and that hadn't changed.

There were reasons he didn't want her to be released, and they went beyond the fact that she'd betrayed him.

Davy sighed. He supposed he'd find out what she was up to when it happened. And he knew that she didn't know where his heart was buried, so she couldn't threaten him with that.

Davy shook his head and sighed. He didn't need to think about that right now.

* * *

It took two days to get to the island his compass was directing him toward. Jack beached his boat carefully, for he knew that he'd have to get it back out onto the waves when he was done. There were some odd things about this island, such as the lack of trees, but this would be a quick search, since it was also a very small island.

He jumped out and grabbed the shovel he'd brought and opened his compass once again. The sun had only just risen, so he had the entire day to search. He didn't expect that it would take that long. _Isla Cruces_ was a lot larger, and they'd found the Chest fairly quickly there.

Jack kept one eye on his compass and another on the ground. It wouldn't do to trip over something just because he wasn't paying attention.

Jack continued to follow the compass, and stopped when it flipped around. He walked over the spot a couple of times, just to make sure, and when the needle kept flipping around, he closed the compass.

It took him half an hour to dig down to the Chest. Just like on _Isla Cruses_, the Dead Man's Chest had been placed in a second one, to protect it from the sand.

Jack opened the outer chest and pulled out the Dead Man's Chest. He placed it on the sand and simply stared at it for a moment. He could hear the beating heart inside. He looked down at it. Nearly two years ago, he'd seen this Chest for the first time. Then, he'd lost to Jones, lost everything.

Now… he could win. He was immortal, now, and Jones couldn't touch him. He could kill Jones as soon as he got this Chest to a blacksmith.

This Chest would be forever empty, and the crew of the _Dutchman_ would be free. Jones would never be able to send Jack back to the Locker.

Jack smiled and picked up the Chest. He started the walk back to his boat. He left the larger chest and his shovel behind. He didn't need them now, and beside, it wasn't as if he'd paid for the shovel.

Jack narrowed his eyes as he approached his boat. The water surrounding the island had risen rather more then he'd expected, and the boat now floated in two feet of water.

He frowned and splashed out to the boat. It was time to go.

Just before he reached it, the wind picked up. He whirled around, clutching the Chest tightly. "Calypso," he said.

She was standing just behind him in the water, smiling. "Well done, Jack Sparrow." She smiled at him, and he frowned in response.

He didn't like that smile. "And what can I do for you, goddess of the sea?"

She smiled at him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "It is time for my chosen Captain to take his place."

Jack tried to step back, but suddenly he was frozen in place and the ocean rose up to surround them.

* * *

Davy sighed as he adjusted course. They were heading roughly toward the northern colonies, though Davy had determined to turn east once they reached the Carolinas.

It had been quiet the past few weeks, only one shipwreck. Davy looked up. Something was about to happen…

Water rushed over the ship in a great wave. Once it was gone, Davy looked to the area off to the side, right next to the wheel. Calypso stood there, her right hand gripping a shocked looking Jack Sparrow. Sparrow held the Chest protectively.

Calypso lifted her hand and the crew froze. Davy took one step forward before he found that he too was unable to move. "Why are ye here, Calypso?" he asked, though he worried that he knew why.

She turned to him. "The Duty must be done, Davy Jones. And you refuse to do it," she said. "So my chosen Captain must take your place."

Davy snorted. "An' you think that Sparrow will do it? He'll stop within a week!"

Calypso didn't answer. Instead, she took the Chest from Sparrow and set it on a nearby barrel.

Sparrow started and seemed to come back to himself. "Now wait just a minute!"

She didn't pause. Instead, she touched the lock on the Chest with one finger, and the Chest opened.

Sparrow closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he drew the small dagger he had been carrying on his belt.

"No, Jack Sparrow. You are not the man I have picked for the job."

"There is no one else here," Davy spat. "Unless you intend to take up the job yourself."

Calypso sighed sadly. "There is one. You named him yourself."

"I don't particularly care who you picked," Jack said. "I dug that thing up so I could kill Jones and set Will an' Bootstrap free! What do I care about this duty you're talking about?"

Calypso laughed sadly. "And that is why you are not my choice. And the magic won't let you. You cannot trade one immortality for another."

Sparrow looked around. "Much as I hate t' admit it, Octopus Face is right. There's no one else," he argued. "Everyone else here is already Jones' slave. None o' them will do it. An' what do you mean, trade one immortality for another?"

"The person who kills me has t' take my place, Sparrow," Davy said. "The_ Dutchman_ must always have a Captain."

Sparrow paled, but to his credit he lifted his head. "So? I assume I'd be able t' set free those I wanted to."

Calypso snorted. "It doesn't matter, Jack Sparrow. You will not be the next Captain."

She spread her arms and Sparrow flinched back. Even from as far away as he was, Davy felt the power she was shaping, and wasn't surprised that Sparrow felt it as well.

"William Turner," Calypso said. "Take your destiny in hand."

* * *

And I'll leave you with that, folks…


	18. Chapter 18

Summary: In a battle of wills, who is stronger?

**arquenniel** deserves all the thanks I can give her, for being willing to look over this for me.

_Ch 18_

Will was trying desperately not to panic as he was forced to drop the rope he held and walk toward Calypso. He couldn't control his own body, though he fought hard to stop. This made his progress slow and stumbling, and Calypso frowned at him. "Do not fight, William Turner," she said. "For you will gain much power."

"I don't want it," Will forced out. "I won't take it."

Calypso sighed and made a brief gesture. "The _Dutchman_ must have a Captain who does the Duty."

"I won't!" Will yelled.

She laughed. "You are too noble not to do the Duty," she said dismissively.

Even as Will struggled to stop moving, his hand pulled out the knife he carried at his belt.

"No!" Will cried out.

"Will!" Elizabeth shouted.

Will doubled his efforts to stop. He froze with his knife poised over the heart. "No, I don't… Help me!" he cried out, though he didn't think anyone would help him.

No one on the crew could move, but someone did help.

Jack stepped in front of him and grabbed his wrist. "Fight it, William," he said. "And I'll hold you back."

Will stared at him, but was unable even to nod in agreement. "I will," he said. Why was Jack helping him? Jack had left him here to be enslaved, and he'd shown no repentance then.

Jack bared his teeth as he struggled to hold Will's hand up and away. His fingers dug into Will's palm as he tried to loosen Will's grip on the knife.

Will could feel his body trying to push Jack away. Jack gasped as he stumbled back, but he regained his footing and pushed back. Because Jack was holding him back, Will was able to focus on trying to break the spell Calypso had cast.

"Jack," Will gasped.

Jack gasped as Will's free hand scratched at his face. Will was only able to hold back enough to make sure that he didn't seriously hurt Jack.

Jack grabbed that hand and forced it back. "Aye, I'm here mate," Jack grunted.

"Enough, Jack Sparrow!" Calypso snapped. "Let him stab the heart!"

"NO!" Jack shouted. "I didn't dig that damn Chest up just to let Will become even more enslaved by the _Dutchman_! If I'd known you would do this, I'd be back on the _Pearl_, ignoring the Chest. If I'd known what stabbing the heart does, it'd still be buried and I'd be finding some other way t' kill Jones!"

Jack grunted as Will's body bore down, trying to get him out of the way. Will, on the other hand, was still fighting, and managed to pull the hand that was clawing at Jack's face away.

"NO!" Calypso said. "Your fate, William Turner, is to be the Captain of the _Flying Dutchman_!"

"I am not…" Will trembled with effort. "I am not the Captain!"

Calypso snarled and spread out her hands. "Enough! Jack Sparrow, let him stab the heart!"

"No!" Jack shouted back.

"I withdraw my protection from you, Jack Sparrow!" she proclaimed. Then she swept her left hand in an arch. Jack winced but held on to Will. Then he was blown across the ship.

He hit the side hard and slid down to lie in a heap on the deck. His eyes were open, but Will could see that he was too dazed to do anything. Will lurched and barely kept the knife from stabbing the heart.

"Do it, William," Calypso said seductively. "Become a powerful man, the ferryman. My servant."

Will felt something snap inside of him. He dropped the knife. "No," he said. He took a deep breath, and as he stepped back, the Captain stepped in front of him. "Well done, Mr. Turner," he said.

Will blinked and looked around. The rest of the crew was just starting to move as well.

"Leave, Calypso," Captain Jones said. "You are no longer welcome here."

* * *

Davy only relaxed once his heart was back in the Chest and Calypso was gone. She hadn't gone without a fight, but most of the crewmen were angry enough that she was driven off.

Turner hadn't been much use in that fight, but he'd done his part when he'd broken the spell she'd laid on them.

Sparrow, on the other hand, had joined in the fight, a curious light in his eyes as he fired at, and hit the goddess.

Davy was trying to regroup as his crew cleaned up the mess the fight had left. He glanced at the Chest for a moment before turning to Palifico. "Take the Chest to my cabin," he ordered.

He turned to face Turner. The crewman had collapsed at some point, and was just barely sitting up, leaning against the side of the ship. Swann was kneeling down next to him, helping him sit up. "Turner," he said.

The crewman looked up. "Captain, I'm…"

"Well done. That was a strong spell she used on us. Few men could break through it like you did."

Turner nodded, looking faintly surprised.

"Swann, help him to my cabin. I want to talk to him after I'm done cleaning up this mess," Davy ordered.

"Aye Captain," Swann said.

Out of the corner of his eye, Davy saw Sparrow jolt and lean forward.

The man's jaw dropped as he got a good look at Swann. "But you… _**bugger**_!" The last word was said with such force that even Turner, who seemed more concerned with staying upright, looked over at Sparrow.

Sparrow closed his eyes, shook his head sharply, and turned away. He crossed to the rail, and stared out at the ocean. Davy rolled his eyes and ignored him for a moment. "My cabin, Mr. Turner," he said, when it became clear that no one was moving. "And all of you, back to work!"

The crew scattered, though Bootstrap moved to help Swann. Davy took a long look at Sparrow, utilizing the abilities being Captain granted him. The man had started muttering under his breath, seemingly having a conversation with himself. Davy suppressed a smile. So the Locker had had an effect on Sparrow. Unfortunately, his examination of Sparrow had proven other things as well.

Somehow, Sparrow had contrived to make it impossible for Davy to put him back in the Locker. Making him crew was also out of the question. Whatever he'd done had made it so Davy, as ferryman of the sea's dead, had no dominion over him.

Davy eyed the man who still owed him a debt, and would always owe him now. After all that Sparrow had done, Davy would never forgive the debt. If Sparrow had just become part of the crew, he'd have been free in ninety-eight years. Now…

Well, he couldn't become crew now. But that didn't mean that Davy had to let him go.

"Sparrow," Davy started.

Sparrow jumped and turned to face him. He'd apparently forgotten where he was, or what trouble he was in. "You can't kill me, Jones," Sparrow said after a moment.

"I can see that, Sparrow. What did you do?"

Sparrow smiled. "_Aqua de Vita_," he purred. "I found it, and I used it. You can't do anything to me now."

Davy smirked. "You'll find that there is much I can still do to you, Sparrow," he said. "You've made yourself immortal." He smirked and looked around. "Clanker, take Sparrow to the brig. And make sure he can't escape!"

"He's no Turner, Captain," Clanker said. "He won't escape."

Davy grinned at Clanker's response. "True," he said. "Take him down."

Sparrow didn't resist as they led him away. He simply smirked and tipped his hat.

Clanker came back in a few minutes with Sparrow's baldric, sword, and pistol.

"Put them in my cabin," Davy ordered. He glanced around, but knew that everything was almost back to normal.

Davy sighed. He was delaying things, he knew. He had two things that he needed to do, and he didn't particularly want to do either of them. Turner, he supposed, wouldn't be able to explain how he was able to break Calypso's spell, but he didn't want to talk to Sparrow, either.

Davy looked up. He could delay both conversations, but not for long. He sighed and headed down to the brig. He'd give Turner a chance to recover before talking with his crewman.

* * *

Jack looked around the brig. It matched the rest of the ship, and it didn't seem all that big, either. And he could feel his other selves clamoring for attention once again. He'd been certain that those other selves weren't real, had only been products of the Locker, but they were back now.

Jack did his best to ignore them for now. They might help him escape later, but his selves weren't going to help right now.

He'd better start planning an escape though, because he didn't think ol' fish face was going to let him out anytime soon.

As if his thoughts had summoned him, Jones appeared just outside the cell. "Sparrow," Jones spat.

Jack summoned his most charming smile. "Captain Jones," he returned.

"This is the second time you have tried to find the Chest, Sparrow. How did you find it this time?"

Jack blinked. "Seems a little stay in your Locker is good for curing indecisiveness, mate," Jack said. "I was shown the way."

Jones snorted. "Your compass," he said flatly. "I might have known." Jones paced back and forth before the door of the cell for a moment.

"Very well," he said, startling Jack, who had started to listen to his selves again. Jones eyed Jack for a moment. "It seems I cannot force ye ta join my crew. Nor can I send you back to the Locker."

"My debt's been settled!" Jack protested. "I was sent t' the Locker!"

Jones shook his head. "The agreement was for one hundred years of service, Sparrow. You've not even done a tenth of that. In any case, you'll pay your debt here."

Jack blinked. "Here?" he asked.

Behind him, one of him selves laughed. "We'll be staying, mate!"

Jones didn't appear to notice his self. "Yes, Sparrow, here. In this cell. Since you've made yourself immortal, you'll survive here- even when we go underwater. And this is the only way I'll be able to take payment on your debt. Enjoy your stay."

Jones started to turn around, but paused. "One more thing, I think," he said.

He stepped forward, and then through the bars of the cell. Jack backed up, startled.

Jones smirked at him and grabbed his hand. "To make sure you don't get very far if you escape," Jones said, as he dropped Jack's hand.

Jack blinked down at his slime covered hand. "Was that supposed t' do something, mate?"

Jones snarled. "_Aqua de Vita_," he said, making the words a curse.

Jones turned and stomped away. Jack and his selves watched him go.

"We are definitely going to have t' find a way t' escape, mates," Jack told his selves.

* * *

Just to let you all know, this story is nearly over. I have two more chapters and a brief epilogue, and we'll be done.

Yes, of course Will and Jack will… have a confrontation. No, I won't tell you if Jack escapes. And we still need to deal with Barbossa…


	19. Chapter 19

Summary: The aftermath of Calypso's defeat.

**arquenniel**, as always, did an awesome job as my beta.

_Ch 19_

Will nearly jumped when the Captain entered his cabin. Captain Jones took in the scene- Will was recovered enough that he had sat up with no help, though Elizabeth was still hovering over him- and snorted. Visible annoyance drained away, or was quickly hidden.

"Captain," Will said quietly. He was terribly exhausted, which scared him somewhat. He hadn't actually felt tired since before joining the crew.

"Swann, go. Turner and I need to have a discussion."

Elizabeth looked down at Will, and then left.

Will swallowed. He was alone with the Captain. The man who he had nearly killed not a hour before. "Captain, I…"

"Do not start, Turner. I know you don't want to replace me," Captain Jones said. "I want to know… how did you manage to break the compulsion Calypso was using?"

Will closed his eyes. "I'm not sure, Captain. I felt… something, when I dropped the knife. I don't know what I did."

The Captain sighed. "Of course," he said. "Very well, it was your own potential power awakening."

Will frowned for a moment, but then he remembered just why the Captain had been so interested in him before he'd become crew.

"Aye Captain," he said. He relaxed slightly. It seemed the Captain wasn't angry with him.

The Captain gave him a look Will couldn't interpret. "But I will have to insure that this doesn't happen again."

Will looked up, startled. The Captain smiled briefly. "You're off duty the rest of today and tomorrow, Mr. Turner. Tell Maccus you're not to work until the day after tomorrow. I know that you nearly wore yourself out fighting that compulsion."

Will nodded and stood up. He swayed for a moment before heading out the door. Once he was on deck, he found Maccus and repeated the order before heading down to the crew quarters.

He barely made it to the back of the room before he faltered and slid to the ground. He was so tired. Will rolled over so he had his back against the wall.

He was asleep in seconds.

* * *

Calypso floated amidst the waters that were both her home and herself.

She had failed to convince Davy to return to his Duty, and then failed to replace him.

She sighed. William Turner had been stronger then she'd expected, and she'd never thought that Jack Sparrow would help him like that.

She shook her head. Jack Sparrow was… disappointing, as a servant. Too independent, too contrary. Too much of a pirate.

Still, the situation was salvageable. With Jack Sparrow out of the way, William Turner might be more easily forced to stab the heart. After all, he would have done it if Jack hadn't stopped him.

Calypso closed her eyes and shuddered. No. She couldn't do it. She'd already tried once to kill Davy; she couldn't do it again. That was part of the reason William had broken her spell. She didn't want to go through with it.

She'd have to give up, for now. But she'd be there, when Davy next set foot on land, to prove to him that she would keep her word. And then maybe he'd do the Duty he was charged with.

If he didn't, she feared that other gods and goddesses would find a way to kill him.

* * *

Elizabeth hurried below decks as soon as her watch was done. Will hadn't been seen since he'd stumbled below after talking to Maccus for a moment.

She entered the crew quarters. Will was leaning against the far wall, fast asleep. He didn't stir as she sat down next to him, but when she shifted so that her head was on his shoulder, he opened his eyes and looked at her.

A second later, he smiled and went back to sleep. Elizabeth smiled up at her husband and shifted so that she was more comfortable. Will still looked tired, even as he slept.

Elizabeth didn't know how Will had managed to overcome a goddess's will, but it had left him completely exhausted. She was glad that the Captain had decided to let him rest. Beyond the fact that Will needed the sleep, it made sense not to have a man who was exhausted trying to sail a ship. That man might make mistakes.

Bootstrap entered and settled down close to them. He glanced at Will, then at her. "He's still asleep?" he asked quietly.

"He woke for a moment when I settled down," Elizabeth said just as quietly.

Bootstrap nodded. Elizabeth smiled at her father-in-law. "I'm actually a little tired myself," she said.

"We all are," Bootstrap said. "We were all fighting the spell. But Will had the hardest fight- and he won."

"I know," Elizabeth said. She shifted slightly, and Will opened his eyes again. He shifted and draped his arm over her shoulder. Then he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

Elizabeth smiled up at him and sighed. "He's got the right idea," she whispered.

"Aye," Bootstrap said with a smile. He rolled over, and apparently fell asleep right away.

Elizabeth, though she was as tired as everyone else, couldn't sleep. She sighed. Things had gone so crazy today, and she still wasn't sure that there wouldn't be any repercussions. Will had been chosen by a goddess to be the Captain's replacement. The Captain had to be furious about that.

Will seemed to be fine, just exhausted, but who knew what the Captain was going to do.

Elizabeth sighed again, and shifted slightly. "Don't worry about that now," she whispered to herself.

* * *

Davy knew exactly why he was so tired. Even if he hadn't been able to break it, he'd been fighting the spell Calypso had placed on the ship, Captain, and crew.

He knew that only the person the spell was most focused on would be able to break it, but he'd fought it anyway. To do otherwise would have been unthinkable. Davy could no more give up then he could step on land whenever he wanted. He knew his crew had been fighting the spell as much as they could- it was a part of them, to be protective of their Captain.

Though if Turner hadn't managed to break the compulsion, then they would have been protective of him.

Still, Davy knew that nearly every person on board the ship tonight would be fast asleep for most of the night. There would be no one to keep Sparrow from escaping.

Davy returned to the brig. He didn't say anything as he hid in the corner, watching Sparrow. He was sitting in the corner, his head thrown back, snoring loudly. Draped across his lap, Cap, the ship's cat, was asleep too.

Davy smirked. The cat would do fine as a guard, at least for tonight. If Sparrow woke up and tried to escape, the cat would wake someone up.

Satisfied, Davy headed for his quarters and his little used bed.

* * *

Will woke up slowly, aware that there was someone using his shoulder as a pillow. He opened his eyes and looked down at the top of Elizabeth's head.

He smiled and kissed her hair. Gently, he untangled himself from her grasp and stood up. He felt a lot better now. He frowned as he headed up on deck. Everyone seemed to be asleep but Will. OF course, it was… he looked up and studied the stars for a moment. Two hours before dawn.

Will shrugged and headed down to the brig. He wanted to see Jack Sparrow.

Will wasn't sure how he felt about Sparrow right now. On the one hand, Jack had helped him save Elizabeth. On the other hand, Jack had betrayed Will and had tried to trade Will's soul for Jack's own. On the third hand, Jack had just kept him from killing the Captain.

Will sighed. He could always punch Jack, and then figure out if he should thank him.

Jack was stretching as Will approached. The man looked up, apparently unconcerned, as Will stopped just outside the brig cage. "Ah, William," Jack said.

Will stared at him for a long moment. He noticed that Cap was sitting on Jack's lap. "Cap, if you don't mind, I need Sparrow to stand up," he said.

Cap meowed and stretched before jumping down. He walked through the bars, rubbed against Will's boots, and sauntered off. "Interesting cat," Jack said.

"He's crew," Will said, since that really explained everything.

Will stepped through the bars and stood over Jack. "Stand up," he said.

Jack obeyed, uneasy. Will lashed out and punched him full in the face. Jack went down again in a heap.

He looked up at Will slowly. Will watched him dispassionately as his broken nose healed in minutes.

"What was that for?" Jack finally asked.

"That," Will said, "was for betraying me and trying to trade my soul for yours."

Jack looked wounded. "But I intended to come back for you! I didn't expect that Jones would keep you!"

"Really?" Will drawled. "And I suppose if the Captain had agreed to your offer, you wouldn't have let him just have me?" Will didn't let Jack say anything. "It doesn't matter. I know the answer to that question." He turned around so that he wasn't looking at the other man. "I can't kill you for that betrayal now. And you did help me fight off Calypso's spell."

He heard Jack stand up, but didn't turn to face him again. "I hadn't thought that things would go like this. You'd get the key and we'd find the Chest, and then I'd be able to negotiate with Jones."

"It didn't work out that way, Jack," Will said.

"Aye," Jack sounded sad.

Will turned back around. Jack was regarding him sadly. "I didn't expect this t' happen," the pirate said.

"You met someone you couldn't outtalk, Jack," Will said. "And we all paid for it. You were sent to the Locker, and now you're here, and Elizabeth and I are part of the crew. And so many others were killed."

Jack sighed. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Then Will turned and walked back through the bars. "Neat trick, mate," Jack said. "I could stand being able t' do that myself."

Will shrugged. He didn't bother turning to face Jack. "You're not crew. And that's why you're down here, Jack."

He walked away. He wasn't very happy with how this confrontation had gone, but he hadn't expected to be.

Still, at least he'd broken Jack's nose, even if it hadn't stayed broken.

* * *

And that's it for this week. Next week, we'll have the final regular chapter of this story. We're almost done. I know it's hard to believe, but this story is nearly at an end.

Oh- about Jack's broken nose healing so quickly. I based the healing powers of Aqua de Vita off of the Highlander Immortals, for the most part, and actually wrote this section and the next weeks ago.


	20. Chapter 20

Summary: Jack Sparrow- prisoner. But for how long?

**arquenniel**, as always, did an awesome job as my beta.

_Ch 20_

Clanker woke up slowly. He'd slept the entire night away, like the rest of the crew. The day before had been hard on all of them.

Clanker stretched and sat up. A quick look around told him that the majority of the crew was still down here, though Turner had apparently already woken up.

After a moment of simply sitting there, Clanker got up and went on deck.

There, he found the Captain at the wheel, Cap perched on the rail just in front of him, and Turner sitting on a crate amidships, looking out at the water.

Turner looked up when Clanker stopped next to him, then back out at the water.

"Clanker, take over at the wheel!" the Captain ordered.

Once Clanker had taken over, the Captain looked up. "Take us down, Mr. Clanker. Let's see what effect this has on Sparrow."

Turner looked up, startled.

Clanker merely nodded as the ship tilted and dove.

Once they were underwater, the Captain went to the brig. His shout back- "Take us up, Mr. Clanker!"- proved that something had happened to Sparrow.

Turner glanced at Clanker and shrugged. "Aren't you going t' go see?"

"I've already talked to Jack," Turner said.

"An' what if he's dead?"

Turner sighed. "Then he's dead," he said. But he stood up and walked below deck just as they surfaced.

He came back up a few minutes later with a slight smile on his face. "Jack's fine," he said to Clanker- and to Bootstrap, who had come out on deck and was working on something behind Clanker. "None too happy- apparently he still drowned. Then he woke up when we surfaced. He and the Captain are arguing right now."

Bootstrap chuckled.

Turner's smile faded slightly and he sat back, pensive. "Jack is… no longer as sane as he once was," he said.

"How can you even tell?" Clanker asked.

"It's… noticeable, if you know him," Turner said. "The Locker damaged him."

"He's in that cell, ye know," Bootstrap said. "An' he's made it so he can't kill himself."

"Aye," Turner said.

Clanker looked up. "At least Sparrow won't be as hard to keep prisoner as you were, Turner," he said.

Turner and Bootstrap both grinned at him.

* * *

"That wasn't fun," one of Jack's selves said.

"Aye," another replied.

Jack was too busy remembering how to breathe to answer. He rolled onto his back and looked up. Jones stood over him. Determined not to show how much drowning had hurt, Jack forced a grin. "That was a singularly unpleasant experience," he gasped. "But anything I c'n survive, I will."

Jones smirked at him. "We'll see," he said. Jack turned his head to see Will standing just outside the cell, watching expressionlessly.

Jack closed his eyes, hoping to stop the pounding in his head. When he opened them, Jones and Will were gone.

"He's a git, mate. Don't let him get to you," one of his selves said.

"Oh, aye," Jack replied. "I intend t' be gone from here before he can."

Jack sat up. His momentary weakness thanks to the momentary drowning was gone. But he didn't really feel like standing up right now, so he leaned back against the wall. His selves were prowling the cell, observing every part of it. Jack idly watched them.

After a time, someone else came down. Jack didn't bother to get up. "You look good, Jack."

Jack looked up in a hurry. For a moment, he thought he was back on the_ Pearl_, and it was two years ago. "Bootstrap," Jack said.

"Why'd you come here, Jack?"

"Not my choice, Bill. Calypso brought me here. My plan was t' kill Jones myself, which I thought would free you and Will."

"And Elizabeth."

"Thought she was dead," Jack said. "I was told that everyone who came with me t' _Isla Cruces_ was dead."

"The other three are," Bootstrap said. "The man Will and Elizabeth called James, and Pintel and Ragetti. Jack, how did those two end up on the _Pearl_ again?"

"Didn't Will tell you?"

"He and Elizabeth never understood why you kept them aboard."

Jack smirked. "They were expendable. And they did have a way with words, after all."

"Will said that you drowned when we dove," Bootstrap changed the subject.

"Aye. It's most unpleasant, I don't recommend it."

One of Jack's selves laughed, but Jack ignored him. Bootstrap didn't even appear to hear him.

"Thankfully, that's not something I have t' worry about," Bootstrap said.

Jack rolled his eyes. "As if I'm likely t' forget that, Bootstrap."

Bootstrap sobered. "You're trapped, Jack," he said.

"Am not," Jack replied. "Jones can't keep me forever- and I think it's been proven that I am immortal. I'll get away eventually."

"You can't run forever, Jack. And the Captain won't just let you go."

"We'll have t' wait and see, won't we?" Jack leaned back and settled in for a nap. He tipped his hat forward so it covered his eyes.

"You're not my son, Jack," Bootstrap said. "And he's the only person who ever managed to get out of the brig if the Captain didn't want him to get out."

One of Jack's selves gasped. "Half-barrel hinges!" he said.

Jack waited until Bootstrap was gone before looking up and smiling. "Leverage."

He leaned back again. He knew how he'd get out of here. Now, he just had to wait- for the opportune moment.

* * *

Will twisted the lock pick delicately, and heard the click that meant he had unlocked the chest he was working on.

Three days had passed since Calypso had tried to force him to stab the heart. In that time, the Captain had sent the ship back and forth between sailing on the water, and under the water. The Captain seemed to enjoy the way Jack reacted to each dive.

Will wondered when he would tire of tormenting Jack that way and move on to other tortures. Will also wondered how long the man's mind could take it. Jack was already talking to himself whenever he was conscious.

"TURNER!"

Will jolted. He set the chest down and ran toward the Captain's call.

It sounded like the Captain was down in the brig again, getting ready to watch Jack drown once more.

Will skidded to a halt just outside the brig, where the Captain was waiting for him. Captain Jones' tentacles writhed angrily. "Did you do this?" he snapped at Will.

Will blinked. "What, Captain?" he asked, bewildered.

The Captain stared at him, then stepped to the side and pointed. "Ye are the only one aboard who knows how t' do that, Turner."

Will looked at the brig… at the door that had been pulled off the hinges, and the empty brig.

"But I didn't… oh no," he finished with a moan. "I'd forgotten…" For a moment, his mind was far away from the _Dutchman_. He was remembering a few seconds in time, three years ago. Just before he and Jack Sparrow made their first bargain.

"_Well, if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady's heart you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."_

"_I can get you out of here."_

"_How's that? The key's run off."_

"_I helped build these cells. These are half pin-barrel hinges. With the right leverage and the proper application of strength, the door will lift free."_

"I used that trick when I first met him- that's how we first worked together. I broke him out of jail."

The Captain stared at him for a long moment. "Fix it. And can ye change the hinges so no one else can do that?"

Will eyed the door for a moment. "I'd need access to a smithy," he said. "And it would take a few weeks. But yes, I could do it."

The Captain snorted. "Forget it, then. Just make sure that no one else uses this trick. And fix the door!"

"Aye Captain," Will said as the Captain headed back up, no doubt to get the search started for Jack.

Now that no one could see him, Will let his grin loose. He might have wanted revenge on Jack, but no one should be tortured the way the Captain had been torturing Jack.

"Fair winds, Jack Sparrow," Will whispered. He turned his attention to the cell door. "Even if I do have to repair this again."

Will frowned. Jack couldn't have been gone long, since they'd only been on the surface for a few hours. "It might not matter. The Captain might just recapture him," Will told himself. He wasn't sure if he wanted Jack to get away or not.

* * *

A quick reminder that- once again- the effects of _Aqua de Vita_ were based on the Highlander Immortals. Additionally, I wrote the diving scene sometime in August. It was actually one of the first scenes I wrote for this story, though it was originally going to be in what I thought would be the sequel (Basically, what ended up being chapter 15 on).

Anyway… next week, I'll post the epilogue, and this story will be done.


	21. Epilogue

Summary: Life- or some semblance of it- goes on, even when the story doesn't.

_Epilogue_

Jack rowed out to the _Pearl_ under the cover of night. He'd finally caught up with her, ironically back in Tortuga, and he was determined not to leave her ever again.

But first, he had to get on board. He'd waited three days until Barbossa left the ship before he could approach the ship. He'd spent that time assembling a small crew and preparing to take his ship back.

Jack checked his pocket. The small bottle he'd carried for months was still safe. He'd been carrying that bottle since he'd found the Water of Life. It was enough to make the_ Pearl_ indestructible.

The longboat he'd taken from another ship bumped gently against the _Pearl_. "Hello love," Jack whispered. "I'm back."

The_ Pearl_ rocked gently. Jack smiled fondly and climbed aboard. "Got a present for you, love," he said as he headed below deck. He knew exactly where to go, the exact center of his ship.

She was nearly deserted right now, with only the watchman still aboard. "I see that Hector took care of ye this time."

The ship creaked as Jack stopped at the exact center. "That's right _Pearl_. I'm here to stay now." He uncorked the bottle and poured it out on the deck below him. The water spread out into a small puddle, and then seeped into the wood. As it did so, the ship seemed to shiver. "An' now we can't be separated forever."

The _Pearl_ rocked and Jack stumbled into the wall. "Relax love. It's _Aqua de Vita_. Water of Life. You can't be destroyed again."

Jack hummed absently as he headed back to the main deck. Once there, he snuck up on the watchman- not hard, as the man was blind drunk and hadn't noticed Jack's arrival either- and knocked him out.

He grabbed a nearby lamp and used it to give the agreed upon signal to the crew that was waiting for him back on land.

He had a lot to do before Barbossa got back.

* * *

Barbossa smiled as he climbed aboard the _Pearl_. It had been a good night, but now it was time to check on his ship.

"Hello Hector."

Barbossa turned around at the familiar voice. "Sparrow," he growled at the man. Jack had his pistol aimed squarely at Barbossa's heart.

"Now, now, Hector," Jack said from where he stood by the wheel. "That's Captain Sparrow."

Barbossa snarled and took a step toward him. Jack cocked his pistol warningly. "I'd done it before, mate," he warned.

"What do ye want, Jack?"

"My ship," Jack said. "Mr. Smith, take Mr. Barbossa to the brig."

Barbossa looked around and realized that he only recognized three of the crewmen.

Gibbs, Cotton and Marty were the only ones who remained from the crew he'd sailed with these past months.

"So you commit a mutiny yerself?" Barbossa sneered.

"'Snot a mutiny, mate, when I'm just reclaiming my ship."

Smith pulled him away. Barbossa spent the next few hours fuming in the brig. The ship set sail during that time. Four hours after they sailed, Cotton and an unfamiliar sailor pulled him out of the brig and back up to the main deck.

There, Jack waited with his crew. "I'd love t' simply shoot you, Barbossa, but I've been reminded that you and I are the last of the Pirate Lords. Into the longboat. I've even remembered t' pack you food and water. And your weapons."

Urged on by his captors, Barbossa climbed down into the longboat. "This isn't over, Jack," he snarled.

"I don't doubt it," Jack responded. "But you'll not be Captain the _Pearl _again. She and I will never be parted again." He cut the rope binding the longboat to the _Pearl_ and grinned. "Don't worry, Hector. Tortuga is only three hours south."

Barbossa refrained from pulling out his pistol and shooting Jack. He couldn't be sure that the other man had given him more then one shot.

At the last second, Jack the Monkey screeched and clambered down to join him in the longboat.

Then the _Pearl_ began sailing away.

"Damn you, Jack Sparrow," Barbossa spat.

* * *

Will leaned against the rail and watched the dolphins as they jumped and played above the ship. One dove down and began to dart around the sails.

Will smiled. There were certain advantages to being part of the crew. No normal man would ever see that view.

There was not much to do right now, as they drifted below the surface. The ship was as clean as it could get, those crewmen who needed to stay aloft were, and the Captain hadn't ordered a particular course.

Will chuckled and reached down to caress the railing he leaned against. Things were calm aboard the _Dutchman_ right now, though that would certainly change once they came across a shipwreck. And the ship herself was happy. For some reason, his sense of the ship had grown stronger after Calypso's failed attempt to make him stab the Captain's heart. No one but Elizabeth had noticed.

Will caught Elizabeth's eye and looked down. She smiled at him and nodded.

He headed below deck, to the storage room.

Elizabeth entered "their" storage room a few minutes later. "What is it?"

"Neither of us is actually busy right now," Will said. "I just wanted to spend some time with my wife."

She smiled and leaned up to kiss him.

It was nearly an hour before they returned on deck. Luckily, no one had noticed that they were missing.

They separated, Elizabeth heading to the stern, where she began coiling rope, while Will headed toward the bow to help his father mop the deck- a rather fruitless endeavor right now, but orders were orders.

The Captain appeared on deck. "Take us up, Palifico! There's a shipwreck, hard ta starboard."

Will grinned and joined the rest of the crew preparing to surface and find the shipwreck.

He found himself (entirely by accident, or so he'd claim if he was asked) next to Elizabeth as they worked. She grinned at him and he smiled back.

The _Dutchman_ breached the surface, spraying water everywhere.

_The End_

I ended the story this way because I wanted to show that life- or some semblance of it- goes on, despite the fact that the story is over.

I hope that you've all enjoyed this story. Please, do let me know. I know that I had a lot of fun writing this story, and the previous one.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing!

I have to especially thank **arquenniel**, for the absolutely wonderful beta work she did. Thank you, and you're awesome!

Yes, I did post early this week- I figured I might as well, since it's the last part and all.


End file.
